The Dark Sapphire
by TearsOfNightfall
Summary: Once again, someone is out to take over the world and while it true that he's hardly a threat, the real danger lies when the Dream Traveler is secretly murdered and, unbeknown to the others, his identity and powers are taken. Mainly follows Lolo.
1. Prologue: An Evening Murder

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_Note also that this is my first fan fiction..._

**

* * *

****Prologue**

The sun slowly began to vanish below the horizon, painting the forest path with evening shadows.

Klonoa the Dream Traveler continued his walk down the trail from the old, once abandoned cottage he'd been staying at, toward the meeting place at the priestess temple.

Once again, there was "trouble a foot". Some maniacal magician thought that he and his homemade army could single-handedly take Lunatea in his control. Tomorrow, it had been decided that Klonoa and a group of about nine other people would set off to stop him before this turned into a big ordeal.

The Dream Traveler smiled in spite of himself, it seemed like this sort of thing was always happening, and it always seemed to be his job to stop all these pending disasters. It was like daily routine now.

Though he didn't really have control over which dream realms he visited, he had been in Lunatea for a good long time now, at least two months. Quite frankly that was the record for how long he'd ever stayed in one place – but that was fine with him. He kind of hoped it would stay this way.

A noise rustled in the bushes nearby, and he caught himself jumping before he realized that it had only been the slight breeze that was sifting through the trees. He felt uneasy somehow. Like he was being watched. …

It seemed unnaturally silent as well, except the occasional whisper of the wind. That was the wind, wasn't it? He stopped and listened, trying to reassure himself that no one else was around. He kept one hand on the sword that was attached to the belt he wore. Why hadn't he brought a flashlight? Every little sound that did materialize seemed to be boosted as though through a microphone. He found himself flinching at the snap of every twig.

He picked up speed as he continued to walk, as of the moment the idea of getting into the open sounded like a good one. It was getting fairly dark now, and the black emptiness between the trees didn't ease his nervousness.

He was finally nearing the end of the trail when suddenly he felt something crash into his left leg and he tumbled painfully to the ground.

Struggling to regain himself, he lifted himself back up and looked for the object he had tripped over. Oddly, the path seemed to be perfectly clear of debris, there was nothing there. Then what had…

He tried to stand up, but found that his leg had been badly twisted – it hurt to walk on. He cursed, which was not something he normally did, and tried to stand up – letting only his toes touch the ground on his wounded leg. Sprained, probably. Damn! Why did this have to happen now of all times, this would surely complicate things tomorrow… He hobbled a few steps forward.

Then suddenly let out a scream as he felt something knock into him again from behind. Falling face first, he instinctively flipped around – only to find a knife pointed at his chest.

The creature holding it was cloaked, but it looked reptilian. It's icy blue eyes blazed coldly at him with deadly purpose.

Completely in shock, and in quite an awkward position, he simply lay there unable to make a move – his breath coming in short gasps.

"What, is that all you've got – given up already? I would've expected more from someone of your reputation." The figure laughed, and then he drove the knife down. Somehow Klonoa's instincts kicked in and he managed to roll to the side in just the knick of time as the knife punctured the soil where he had been just milliseconds before. Drawing his own sword, he swiped it back at the startled knife-wielder. But the only thing he hit was the knife itself as the reptile drew it in front to parry expertly – Klonoa catching glimpse of a wicked reptilian smile. The fiend knocked the Dream Traveler's sword to the side and lunged toward him point first – Klonoa managed to jump back but stumbled on his bad leg and fought to keep on his feet.

Panic surged inside of him – this was bad! This guy was obviously a master with his knife – he was just playing with him! He glared at the lizard-like face in deep anger and frustration. Klonoa couldn't help the feeling that the cloaked assassin could take it up a notch at any moment, and that he wouldn't be able to fight him off. His injury, which he now knew had been smartly inflicted on him by his enemy beforehand to prevent escape, wasn't helping either. At this rate…

The assassin lunged again, and as he tried to jump back, the Dream Traveler fumbled completely and found himself leaning against a tree with the knife pushing against his own sword. He struggled to maintain the block, dropping the ring he'd been carrying and grasping the sword with both hands – but his enemy was strong! Eventually, the reptile began to draw his long knife back, and Klonoa, his heart beating fast, made a weak, short attempt at a repost – not able to move forward without falling. The assassin blocked it easily, the swipe hardly even being in range. With a burst of strength, he flung Klonoa's sword right out of his hand and it flew across the plain, it landing about four feet behind its horrified owner. And in the same, quick motion the killer turned and dug the point of his knife lightly into the Dream Traveler's chest, where the first few drops of blood appeared. Klonoa could only gasp in horror, tears forming in his eyes as he knew there was nothing he could do. "Oh dear, so it looks like this is the end of our little game now. I must say I'm a bit disappointed. I'd looked forward to this for a while now – truly thought you'd be more of a challenge, but oh well. It all turns out the same for me in the end… – Long live the Dream Traveler!" The beast cried mockingly as he mercilessly thrust his knife completely through his victim. Klonoa's last scream fizzled, his soul departed, and it was over.

The murderer pulled back his blooded sword and the Dream Traveler's lifeless body fell to the ground. He nudged it with his shoe. "Poor little thing, if only you had used your powers to the fullest. You wouldn't be dead now then would you? Well, no need to worry – I'll put them to good use for you!"

He knelt down next to the corpse and laid his hand on the fatal wound – the place where the still heart was. He closed his evil eyes in concentration, and a light appeared from under his hand. Both Klonoa's empty body and the killer's lit up in a shade of pale blue, and then, in a shimmer of magic, the form of the reptilian murderer disappeared – leaving only sparkling fragments of light as the cloak fell to the ground. These small, glowing particles sunk into the body of his victim – the fatal wound healed and its heart started beating – it drew in a quick breath. Slowly, the light faded, and it got up.

However, this time it was not Klonoa's soul in the familiar form, but rather that of his killer. Who had now, with dark magic, taken his victim's identity as his prize.

The once reptilian creature looked his new body over – a bit young and overly furry perhaps, but that was a small price to pay for the great power it contained.

He noticed the fresh bloodstains that adorned his clothes and the fur around his chest. This would not do! Using another spell, he completely cleansed himself from the red stains. That was better.

The assassin's motives were very clear. It was true, Ussannis, the magician that was currently building his army, and the fiend that Klonoa was supposed to have played a part in stopping, was a bumbling, incompetent fool who would surely meet his end before long. However, what was mostly ignored was the fact that he unearthed the long buried Dark Sapphire – a gem made of the essence of dark energy from nightmares – an extremely powerful, dangerous treasure! The idiot magician had tried to find ways to use it – but it was useless – only the Dream Traveler himself could unlock its power.

To bad that's me now – the killer thought wickedly. Now, no one had needed to worry about this before as they knew that Klonoa would never even have given a thought to using it's dark powers. However, for the assassin, it was a different story.

Now the fools that had been Klonoa's friends would unknowingly lead him right to it – and to their own demise. He would hardly even have to work at all, and he'd have all the help he needed. It was just too perfect! He couldn't help snickering to himself, though the voice it came out in made him cringe.

"Don't worry Gemini." He said aloud to himself. "It'll all be worth it!" He grabbed the ring that Klonoa had dropped, playfully spinning it around on one fingure. Hopefully it wasn't to hard to use, but he was sure he could fingure it out without much trouble. Part of it should be instict now, anyway. He looked down at the knife on the ground – he'd have to leave it. They'd all wonder what Klonoa was doing with something like that. Alternatively, he instead walked over and picked up Klonoa's old sword, sticking it back in the belt that was now his.

And with that, the fiend headed off in the direction his victim had originally been heading. Toward the meeting.

* * *

_Wow, that was a heavy prologue! But wait for chapter one where the real story will start - and I promise it wont all be this violent and tragic! _


	2. Chapter One: The Last Night

**Disclaimer: **I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_Okay, on to Chapter One! Note that before I put this up I also did some relatively minor edits to the Prologue.

* * *

_

**Chapter One**

Lolo shuffled in her seat by the window – her azure eyes scanning the fields surrounding the temple for the familiar shape of her friend.

It was dark now, and the late-autumn stars could easily be seen – contrasted by the grim blackness of the sky.

Where was he?

Tomorrow was the day that Klonoa was leaving to go put down Ussannis' ambitions. Everyone that would be traveling was supposed to meet that night to discuss plans, and, most importantly, get rest.

Lolo herself would be going. It made things easier for the group to have a priestess with them. It was like a sign of legitimacy, those who traveled with someone from the church were never to be hassled by authorities.

She still couldn't believe she was the one that had been chosen for this crucial mission, for she wasn't particularly popular. She wondered if Klonoa had asked the High Priestess and Friedole, who was actually the leader of the group, specifically to let her come along.

He was probably her best friend, and one of the only. Along with Popka of course, who was currently resting peacefully in Lolo's room inside the church. He would not be coming along on the journey. She wished her fellow priestesses and trainees could be at least a little more friendly. But, apparently, they had taken a bit of a disdain toward her.

She'd been ecstatic when she'd found out the news that morning. Not only had she actually wanted to go with her friend, but this was also the perfect chance to prove herself! Oh yes – she'd do more than converse with checkpoint officials. She was sure she could be helpful; she'd been working really hard lately… Maybe now she'd finally be recognized. And not only that, but actually gain some much needed respect!

Nevertheless, she found it hard to be excited now – her worry had squelched her enthusiasm. Klonoa should have been here by now, it was almost time to got too sleep – for they were leaving very early in the morning – before the sun rose over the hills and while the sky was still dark. And he still wasn't here! What could be keeping him? It wasn't like him to be late for something like this! She didn't have a good feeling about it. Her knuckles were sweaty with her tension, but yet at the same time she felt cold. She'd had feelings like this before, and they never meant anything good… She almost felt like crying.

But wait? Lolo suddenly caught a glimpse of a silhouette as it appeared on the horizon, making its way out of the surrounding woods. She watched it tensely until it moved close enough for it's basic shape to be made out. Yes! That was definitely him!

She breathed a pleasant sigh in relief and let her muscles relax. Thank goodness!

The door finally creaked open as the Dream Traveler stepped in. "Oh, there you are at long last, Dream Traveler! I was beginning to think you'd chickened out!" Raphael, a skilled dog-like swords-man who was one of the questing group, joked. "Of course not! Just because I'm a little late doesn't mean I'm a coward!" 'Klonoa' replied with a smile.

"I'd be curious to hear your excuse as to your tardiness." Said Friedole with dismay in his voice "I expect those who will be traveling with me to obey me when I say 'don't be late'! And instead you get here just as we're about to head off to bed!" 'Klonoa' frowned. "Well, I'm here now aren't I? Lighten up! I don't know what business of yours it is to know what I was doing! Besides, I expect you're perfectly capable of coming up with a suitable plan without me!" "Well, yes, but…" Friedole stammered, a bit surprised by the sharp response.

Lolo was a bit surprised as well. But all the same, she got up and walked toward the Dream Traveler, smiling warming. "Whatever the case, I'm just glad you're here now. I was getting worried." He looked at her somewhat blankly, as if trying to think of something to say in reply.

"Oh, your shirt…" Lolo gasped, noticing a jagged tear in the fabric, near his chest. For a moment, there was a quick flare in his eyes; but then he just shook his head innocently. "This?" He asked, looking down at the rip and fiddling with it in his hands. "It's nothing, I just accidentally tore it on a tree branch along the way." How did she know that that was a lie? What could he possibly be trying to hide? She studied her friend carefully, what was it about his eyes that seemed so different?

"Umm, Klonoa, since you were absent, why don't you come over here and I'll explain to you what's been decided." Friedole spoke up again. 'Klonoa' nodded and walked over toward the group's leader. Lolo almost thought he seemed relieved to have an excuse to move away from her.

While he talked with Friedole, Lolo once again sat down in her chair by the window. She watched her friend closely. She couldn't hear what they were saying, their voices meshing with those of everyone else present. All the same, she already basically knew, she'd participated when they'd made the plans before, though she hadn't had much to say. Klonoa seemed more enthusiastic now – he was obviously listening intently. Nevertheless, his eyes were still cold. Lolo shivered. Though he was paying attention, she could also see that his mind was other places as well, as if he was adding his own thoughts onto what Friedole was saying. And he didn't look like he wanted to share them.

Suddenly his eyes caught hers, and his gaze shifted toward her. She quickly turned away and focused on something else. Klonoa brought his attention back to Friedole, a dark little smile playing on his face.

Lolo looked around at the other six members of the group. Sitting on two chairs near the fireplace on the left-hand wall were Leorina and a vixen fox named Eneste, chatting about what was to come tomorrow.

Leorina had once been a foe to Lolo and Klonoa, but ever since the confrontation with the King of Sorrow, and the rebuilding of his kingdom, she had more or less abandoned her old ways. But not her old fire. The sky pirate had been one of the most obvious choices when the travelers had been picked.

The other four warriors were all talking together as well, except for Icarus, a bat-like creature who tended to keep to himself. The other three were: Aquette, a girl resembling a leopard – despite the fact that her feet, hands, and ears were blue with her extra long tail being an even darker shade of the same color. Vioris, a rat-like creature, but with ears more suited to a cat, and a tail that had a wide, flat tip. And Marris, another creature with canine attributes.

Of all the travelers, Klonoa and Leorina were the only ones she really knew, though she had talked to Friedole before once or twice. Friedole was an odd character, but he was quite well respected for his skills with a sword, the reason the High Priestess had chosen him as the head of the group. He didn't specifically resemble any species in particular, but he was very large. Sometimes a bit intimidating. His fur was mainly gray with some tan, and he had a bushy black tail.

Lolo wondered if she could make friends with any of these creatures. She hoped she'd get along better with these colleges than the one's she studied with everyday. So far, however, she felt she had been mainly ignored…

"So basically we just catch a boat to Mira-Mira, walk around the outskirts, and head up into the mountains – toward Ussannis' stronghold. That about sums it up, right?" Klonoa's voice piped up, raising his voice. Lolo turned around sharply. "Pretty much." Friedole answered, sounding a bit exasperated. "We can't really come up with a plan of attack until we arrive at the place and survey the surroundings ourselves." Klonoa shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about that too much..." He replied smugly.

With that, he walked over and plopped down in an empty chair in the right-hand corner, without another word, looking lost in his own thoughts. He fiddled with ring he always carried, absent-mindedly rubbing his fingers over the shiny surface. Lolo found the shadows in his expression troubling.

"All right everyone." Lolo turned her attention back at her speaking leader, as did Klonoa and the others. "I think it's about time to head off to the last decent sleep were likely to have for the next good while. Take my advice and savor it. We're leaving just before sun-up, and our first task will be making our way to the Lake of Seclusion and catching a boat to the area around Mira-Mira. We should get a ride easily, as we have a representative from the church with us." He glanced at Lolo. "But, once we do, you'll need to be prepared for the fact that we'll be water-bound for the next couple of days on. I'd enjoy sleeping on steady ground while you can. And with that covered, I bid you goodnight."

Slowly, everyone began to get up and disperse toward their own separate rooms down the halls of the gathering area. Klonoa was one of the first to stand. Lolo caught him as he made his way down the corridor, coming up next to him. She felt a bit uncomfortable – something about his very presence seemed different… "Umm, are feeling okay, you've been acting a little…funny…" She asked him straight out. He looked at her in fake confusion. "What makes you say that?" He asked, sounding a bit annoyed, even though he pretended not to be. "It's just…" She struggled to find the right words. "I guess I'm just a bit restless, that's all." He interrupted simply. She looked at him in concern. "Look, don't worry about it, it's nothing." He smiled reassuringly.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked timidly. "Of course." "Where were you really, while everyone was talking. I kept having these weird feelings…and…it's hard to explain…I was afraid something had happened to you." "Really? Well, it's nice of you to care, but you don't need to worry so much. I just lost track of time a bit." She stared at him blankly. Klonoa let out a sigh. "I mean it, nothing happened! It was just an accident, that's all! I really didn't mean to be late…" He added convincingly, his head slightly hung as if ashamed. "…You do believe me, don't you?"

This time it was her turn to sigh, he looked so pathetic. "If you say so…" She answered in a small voice. "Just…get some rest tonight, okay." "Don't worry, I will." He nodded simply, and then, with one last look at her, disappeared into his room. "Umm, goodnight." She heard him say softly as the door closed with a thud.

Lolo shook her head. Maybe he was just overly tired. She turned and walked toward her own room a couple of doors down. She entered eagerly, collapsing on the inviting looking bed. It will be hard to leave, she thought as she buried herself in the blankets. The next couple of weeks wouldn't provide much comfort. She knew she should enjoy it while she had the chance.

Nevertheless, while she laid their warm under the covers, there wasn't much sleeping done that night.

* * *

_Well, that's it for Chapter One! Hopefully it wasn't too boring... Stick around for Chapter Two, when the journey toward Ussannis and his Sapphire will begin!_


	3. Chapter Two: The Departure

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_Finally the second chapter, this one took a while to write. Again, I did some very minor edits to Chapter One as well._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Two**

It was still dark as Gemini, still in Klonoa's body, stood outside in the courtyard surrounding the temple. Everyone else was fast as sleep – even that girl had finally dozed off! What an annoyance she was! He would have to watch what he said around her. What would she think if she knew that her friend was dead? He snickered wickedly to himself.

They would all be waking up in around two hours – that would easily give him enough time to try out his new abilities. He looked down at the ring in his left hand, he wanted to figure out exactly what it could do, and what powers he had, before the journey began.

He closed his eyes in concentration, trying to tap into whatever magic was at his disposal. He didn't figure it'd be too hard, for he was an experienced with spells – having practiced them ever since he had been a small child. And while this natural-born power was different, his skills did give him a vague idea of how to harness it. Probably more of a knowledge than Klonoa had ever had.

Suddenly, a bright blue light pierced the blackness. Gemini lit up as if a torch, and the gem on the end of his ring begin to pulse. Pain shot up spine of the once reptilian creature as he struggled to control the magic. He flinched, fighting with the powerful, uncomfortable forces. In a final, blinding flash, two rays – emitted from the gem on the ring – shot through the night – cutting the air like razors. Trees cracked and fell as the blazing beams burned through everything in their path until they finally fizzled about twenty seconds later.

Gemini gazed, mouth agape, at the carnage he had wreaked upon the nearby woods. Amazing! Absolutely perfect!

He turned his eyes toward the building where his traveling companions were sleeping. The rays had passed by windows, surely someone would have noticed. Although everything remained quite, almost eerily so after the ear-splitting hum of the beams, he decided it would be best to quickly head back into his room from the back entrance – before anyone noticed he was gone. He didn't want to risk being found out.

Though now he wondered if he even needed their help. With this power, he could probably destroy Ussannis and his whole army with relative ease… And those fools as well.

What strength he had! The Dream Traveler's magic was much stronger than he had originally predicted, and he had just scratched the surface! Just imagine it, what would it be like once he had the Dark Sapphire!

No wonder that fool, Klonoa, had never used his real power – the poor weakling must have been terrified of it! It was indeed deadly…and very hard to control.

Nevertheless, he decided it was best to keep on traveling with Klonoa's group. He didn't want to abuse his new powers too much; or at least not until he had the Sapphire. It would simply tire him out too quickly. The trip would still be much easier with them. And, besides, what did he have to lose? If they ever did figure out who he was he could kill them right then and there and continue on his own.

Gemini entered the building and quietly crept into his room without being noticed. Indeed though, at least some had been awoken by his test of strength – he could hear a few anxious voices muttering softly from within their own apartments. He smiled.

No one had been able to sleep after the blast. Eventually everyone, still in their nightclothes, had been called out of their rooms to go and see if they could the source of the loud light.

They didn't find anything in the garden in front of their sleeping quarters, but when they headed out to the courtyard behind it, they caught sight of the woods.

The remains of decapitated trees littered the edge of the forest, the severed stumps charred. In fact, the whole area was singed.

For a long time, the disconcerted group simply stared at the wreckage in shock. There was nothing there now to hint at what could have caused this. Klonoa suggested that it may have been the work of Ussannis. When questioned as to why he had not simply blasted them instead of the nearby greenery, Klonoa had remarked that he thought maybe it had been a "warning." No one could think of anything better.

Eventually, Friedole ordered them back to their rooms to rest for the last hour before the departure, assuring them that he didn't believe that they were in any immediate danger. They were reluctant, but eventually everyone headed back to their beds, the last time they would have in comfort. Yet, they were all deeply troubled. Had Ussannis really done this? No one had expected such an act from someone with his reputation. Lolo couldn't help finding it odd that Klonoa had so quickly accused Ussannis after he had talked about him so mockingly in his conversation with Friedole last evening.

While, in the meantime, Friedole himself sat in main room, in the chair by the window – the lights dimmed. He rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. He wasn't convinced. Regardless of their uncertainty, one thing was for sure – the quest certainly sounded a lot more intimidating now!

Lolo yawned. She awoke to the sounds of the others grumbling and emerging from their rooms. Somehow she must have fallen asleep again. Judging from the echo of the footsteps, it seemed that they were gathering in the main room. It was time to leave.

She almost wished that she hadn't gone back to sleep, she had been wide-awake after the mysterious blast, but now she felt more sleepy than ever. Clumsily, she padded her way to join the others. She took a place beside Klonoa, standing shakily. Friedole was talking, though she didn't really catch what he was saying – something about the quickest route to the lake. This early in the morning it mainly went in one ear and out the other.

She turned to Klonoa, who didn't seem to be particularly listening either. "Good morning." She said warmly. He passed her a glance – again seeming a bit annoyed, though Lolo hoped that that was just her imagination. "Umm, you too." He turned away to stare directly at Friedole, avoiding anymore eye contact with her. She sighed, though a bit too tired to care. She instead gave into her weariness, collapsing in a comfortable looking chair a few paces over.

The speech continued for what seemed like a long time, but before she knew it, Lolo found herself heading out the door with the others and onto the path that would eventually lead them to the Lake of Seclusion.

The cold air woke her up fairly quickly, and the group made a steady pace toward their destination. The travelers were mainly silent, but occasionally there would be a few words spoken between friends, or Friedole would make some announcement – though so far nothing that was particularly worth remarking on.

Lolo made a few attempts to strike up a conversation with Klonoa, but he just gave short, unenthusiastic answers. She was beginning to get annoyed herself – was he mad at her for some reason? He just wasn't himself. She sighed, she'd hoped he'd be back to normal this morning.

"We'll be at the port in about a half an hour." Friedole piped up about 3 hours into the trip. "Lolo, when we get there you'll have to show your pendent to the port official, and tell them who we are and where we are going." She nodded. Before they had left, the High Priestess had given her the pendent that traveling Priestesses wore as proof of their rank. It was flat silver with an onyx rim, the middle carved with the temple's symbol and old passages in a mostly forgotten language. She would have to present this to the guard in order for them to be allowed to board one of the small ferries Or at least she would have to if they wanted to get on without having to pay an unspeakable amount of money. Far too much for the average person.

"Aahck!" Aquette's voice squealed as she tumbled to the ground, dragging the nearby Marris with her. "It's them!" Icarus cried as he nimbly dodged an attack by an odd purple creature, drawing his knife. Lolo's heart jumped in panic as she realized what was happening. "It's Ussannis' puppets!" Leorina finished as she pulled out a sword herself, having become quite good with the weapon – she smashed her weapon into an incoming attacker and the thing dissolved into bits. They weren't living beings, but lifeless, magical puppets created by the deranged magician. "Already! I hadn't expected to see any of these things until tomorrow! Well, no matter, Ussannis isn't powerful enough to create anything of true threat. Just finish them quickly!" Friedole cried, charging into the simmering fray at the rear of the group with his own sword. Vioris, who was stronger than he looked, wielded up and swung an axe-like weapon – decapitating and destroying two monsters. Aquette quickly pulled herself off of the ground, and grabbed an arrow out of bag she carried on her back. Instead of heading up to the action, however, she ran to a bit of a distance – taking expert aim with her bow. Marris, also having recovered, took up another axe of his own and ran toward the dark puppets, screaming out angry curses at the beasts. Eneste fought with twin blades, using her unique agility to take out another pair of attackers in a few graceful swings. Klonoa un-sheathed his own sword, and tightened the clutch on his ring, joining the others.

Lolo was left standing alone. She had no weapon, though the Priestesses did have some supernatural skills. Unfortunate that she wasn't very good at them. – She was just an apprentice after all. She stood still, completely at a loss. She felt helpless, panic beginning to well inside of her. She had thought beforehand that she would be able to use her magic, but now, when it came to it, she didn't feel she could. She began to shiver.

Vioris screamed, a claw racking across his side – drawing blood. True, they were easy prey, but more and more just kept coming, appearing from the shadows of the nearby brush. "This is stupid!" Eneste cried, tossing one off of her back, scratch marks on her neck. "They're weak, but there's so many! At this rate they'll exhaust us before we destroy them all." "Just keep at it!" Friedole ordered. Leorina swiped and obliterated a creature that had its wretched teeth clenched around Vioris right leg, while Marris assaulted and defeated another two that had run over to hassle Aquette. Still, most of the fighters had wounds and scratches all over their bodies. And while not deep, they were still painful and tiring.

Lolo simply did her best to stay out of harms way. Terribly ashamed. Any confidence she had once had in her abilities was gone. She'd wanted to prove herself, but now, in the face of danger, she'd frozen inside. Maybe this was why none of her colleges respected her… Maybe she didn't deserve it! She tried to summon up some of her skills, but it was useless. She silently began to sob. Terrified.

More creatures emerged from the woods, this time from the opposite direction. Aquette and Lolo stumbled for safety, but to her horror, Lolo felt a sharp pain spike up her leg and felt herself fall hard against the ground below. She looked up to see the soulless face of one of the puppets staring unseeingly down on her – its gaze hollow. They were relatively small, and of a basic shape, but they were frightening to look in the face. She tried desperately to summon up some sort of shield, anything! But nothing happened. She was sure that if it was a real creature it would be laughing and mocking her. She screamed in helpless terror.

A few feet off Icarus cried out as he too was dragged to the ground, completely taken by surprise. "Damn it, get off!" Lolo heard Leorina scream as one of the new-coming creatures bit down hard on her shoulder. Icarus gasped as his sword was pulled out of his hands. They were outnumbered.

Klonoa took a few steps back, dislodging a creature that was holding onto him from behind. He assessed the situation. The weak creatures were beginning to become dangerous in their numbers. He looked over at Lolo, who was still struggling with the dark puppet, trying meekly to protect her face with her arms as the creature slashed at her. How pathetic! – He wondered how the real Klonoa had put up with her. Well, in any case it was time to end this. He hoped this would work, he hadn't the time to play with his powers as much as he would've liked to.

Lolo let out another scream as the creature ripped its claws down her side as she tried to roll out of its grasp. The grotesque thing now tore at her arms, trying to get at her face. She kicked at the dark puppet, but it just slammed her harder against the earth below – arms held down. She gasped as the beast raised its right arm, preparing to swipe at her face and neck.

Suddenly a blinding light lit the scene, attracting everyone's attention, regardless of the circumstances. The glow was emanating from Klonoa's body, his eyes closed in focus. The brightness of the light increased, and the ring's gem began to pulse. This caught the concentration of Ussannis' puppets as well, and they all came charging toward the glowing Dream Traveler. His companions just watched, completely spell-bound.

With a loud blast, not two, but many smaller rays were dispelled from the ring – each one homing in on a monster. Each connected. All the puppets were destroyed in a flash of smoke.

When the air cleared there wasn't a single one left, and no more came out of the woods. The whole group stared at Klonoa in awe. "How's that?" He asked smugly. "I'm pretty convenient to have around, aren't I?" "Klonoa! That was…incredible!" Lolo cried as she pulled herself off the ground and came running up to him breathlessly, completely in shock. "Where did you learn to do that? I didn't even knew you could!" "I've been practicing, that's all. I never quite got it before, but I worked really hard before this trip – thought we might need a bit of a boost in strength! And I think I figured this all out now!" "That sure beats the wind bullets you used to use. Funny you never tried to learn these powers before now." Leorina chimed in, walking tiredly up to him – along with all the others. "I did try, somewhat. But I guess…well, I think I was actually a bit afraid of it…" "I could see why, power like that is not to be taken lightly…" Friedole agreed. A thought occurred to him about the night before, but he kept it to himself.

For a moment, Klonoa and Friedole looked at each other oddly, as if reading each other's thoughts. Then the Dream Traveler quickly turned away. "Well, I'm a bit tired now… I think I can make it to the boat, but lets get there as quick as we can so we can take a break from all this walking." "Agreed." Friedole seconded. "We'll get to the lake and board one of the ferries, we'll check over all our wounds there, and then they'll be plenty of time to rest. Does everyone think they can hold out till then?" There were a few groans, but eventually everyone nodded. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. They all began to begin padding down the trail again, all still somewhat in shock.

Though the pace was slowed a little, the group still arrived at the Seclusion Port within about forty minutes after a tiring, silent walk. Much to Lolo's frustration, Klonoa still didn't seem in the mood to talk. She really wanted to find out more about what he had just done, too. It just seemed so strange… Though, she had to admit that at least now everyone had something else to think about besides the cowardice she had showed… She was severely disappointed in herself, as well.

"State your business here." The port official stated as they addressed him at his till by the boarding lane. "Umm, we would like to board the ferry heading to border of Mira-Mira." Lolo was forced to speak. "Do you have the money?" The worker stared down at her, his hard face a bit intimidating. "Well, no. Umm, you see I'm a Priestess, and I have, uh, proof." She held up the pendent that dangled around her neck, usually obscured by her shirt. The tiller looked a bit disappointed. "Very well. Is this your traveling party?" She nodded. "Board whenever you like, but we leave in about twenty minutes – be on in fifteen."

She sighed in relief – that was easy. She looked back at Friedole. "Let's just get on now." He decided. "We need as much rest as we can get after that struggle." They all turned and began to walk onto the dock when suddenly a voice piped up from behind them. "Please, wait!"

They turned to see an odd white creature coming toward them from the direction they had just come. He hurried up to the tiller, afraid the ferry was about to leave. "Please, I need to get on too!" He looked up at the Port Official pleadingly. "If you have the money that wont be a problem." The tiller answered. The creature frowned, he had to get on with them somehow. "How much?" "More than you have, I'm sure." Was the worker's only response. "But – " "Look, just get out of here kid, alright."

The creature turned toward Lolo's group. "Can I get on if I get permission from her? She's a priestess, right?" "Err, I suppose, if she lets you become part of her traveling party."

The odd, white creature approached her. "Hey…umm…look, I really need to get back to Mira-Mira, is there anyway I could travel with you on the boat. I'm afraid I don't have the money to get back…" "Well…" Lolo studied the creature. He looked oddly plain. He was pure white with mid-length fur, a semi-long, fairly bushy tail, and bat-like ears. He was tall and thin. "What's your name?" "Theo." She looked him over again, including his eyes. She noticed that his gaze seemed to keep wandering toward Klonoa, though he didn't act entirely comfortable with the sight. She wondered why. She knew she should ask Friedole before allowing anyone along, but for some reason she trusted him, regardless of how uncomfortable her friend seemed to make him. Besides, it was her decision, wasn't it? "Well, I don't see why you couldn't come along…" "You mean it! Thanks so much, Mrs…" "Lolo." She smiled.

She noticed Friedole cast her a disapproving glance, but she was sure he'd get over it. Her and the newcomer, Theo, headed back toward the tiller. "It's okay." Lolo stated. "I'm allowing him to come with us, under the allowance of my pendent." "Well, whatever, I guess…" The official gave the white thing one last look. "He's the responsibility of your party, then." She nodded. The worker simply went back to work on his papers, leaving them to board. They rejoined the group. Theo stood back, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Lolo, what were you thinking! You're not supposed to use your pendent to allow any but us to travel!" Friedole whispered the words to her, but there was a definite agitation in his voice. She shrugged. "Well it was my decision, I didn't see why he couldn't come along. It's just for the ride, after all." She whispered back. "But I'm the leader, you shouldn't make those kind of decisions without asking me if it's okay first!" "Just let me make up my own mind sometimes, will you!" She snapped, her agitation from the days earlier events boiling over. He looked at her in surprise, and she quickly lowered her voice back down, embarrassed. "Besides, he seems okay to me, I don't see why we couldn't trust him." Friedole shook his head in frustration. "You don't even know who he is! For all you know he could be a spy working for Ussannis. And we don't know why he wants to go to Mira-Mira, either." "Well, I already told him he could come, I can't take it back now! We can find out why he wants to come after we get on and rest a while." With that, she walked away, ending the conversation. Friedole groaned, but at least this "Theo" didn't seem particularly suspicious. Though all the same he was annoyed.

Klonoa scrutinized the newcomer, he'd noticed the odd way Theo kept looking at him. The Dream Traveler's stare seemed to make him uncomfortable – Theo was breathing heavy under Klonoa's gaze, trying to avoid eye contact. Was that a bit of anger on his face. Klonoa blinked.

"Well, everyone, let's get on now before anything else happens, or we pick up any other traveling companions…" At Friedole's order, everyone walked down the thick dock, up the ramp, and into the mid-sized boat.

* * *

_How will the trip across the lake go? Will everyone survive the journey to Ussannis? Who is Theo really? Stay tuned! _


	4. Chapter Three: Dinner And A Deadly Night

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_Finally, here's the third chapter. Hopefully it turned out good, this one was a challenge to write. Most of this chapter is pretty laid back – lots of dialogue as well._

**

* * *

****Chapter Three**

The ride was a bit bumpy. Though it wasn't in anyway stormy, the waves did bounce the boat somewhat. It grew colder as well as they neared Mira-Mira. Despite all this, the group wasn't in any danger – the ferry was built for this kind of weather.

Lolo sat comfortably on one of the many red couches in the main lobby. She sighed peacefully, it felt great just to lay low for a while, though the gash down her side and her other wounds ached. The first thing that everyone had done when they first boarded was to bandage up their worst scratches and scrapes, thankfully, none were deep.

She still couldn't believe how badly she had faired in battle, but she made a conscious decision not to think about it for the moment. She was sure that Friedole would have a _talk_ with her – for she had assured him that she was able to use the normal Priestess skills when he had agreed to take her along . And back then she thought she could, but now... Apparently, she still couldn't use them when under stress. Anyway, she'd have enough time to think about it when Friedole gave his lecture. Now it was time to just relax – she found it hard to be upset in such a peaceful setting.

The left wall of the ship contained a large window, about the size of a sliding-glass-door. From where she rested, it gave her a great view of the lake outside. The water, as dark as the sky, didn't provide a bright scene, but in its own strange way it was beautiful. The waves rippled with the light wind, and just a few moments ago sparse raindrops began to drizzle down – painting the glass with droplets of water that reflected the dim, gray light and the rays that occasionally pierced the clouds. The soft pitter-patter of rainfall could be heard hitting the outer-layer of the ship. It was very soothing and surreal, Lolo found herself fighting to keep her eyes open, sleep threatening to overtake her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said to Klonoa, who was sitting on the other end of the same couch. "Hmm." He nodded, but barely, his eyes once again staring into space. So far during the ride he'd ignored every attempt she'd made to have a conversation with him, as usual…at least what had become usual since yesterday night.

She looked back at Theo. He was sitting by himself at the edge of the lobby. He still couldn't seem to take his mind off Klonoa, though he was trying not to let it show. He looked greatly uncomfortable.

What was it between them? She wondered. Maybe he was just impressed with Klonoa – he was the Dream Traveler after all. That had been her initial thought, but in reality, the glance wasn't friendly at all – much less admiring.

"Hey, Klonoa, do you know who he is?" She asked, leaning over and whispering to the Dream Traveler. "He keeps looking at you like he's mad or…_disturbed_…or something." She didn't really expect an answer, but she thought she'd try. And much to her surprise, she got one. "So I've noticed. But, no, I don't have any idea who he is!" He sounded annoyed, you could tell through his voice that he was irritated by his on-looker. "Really? You don't?" She was a bit surprised. "But it sure seems like he knows you!" "You're the one that let him come along, not me – why expect me to know anything! You welcome him, and then you're the one that asks the questions! If anyone should be expected to know anything about him, then that'd be _you_! And I certainly can't say that I'm particularly pleased about that creep being here. What were you thinking when you gave him permission to join us, you don't even know who he is!" He raised his voice angrily, glaring at her. "I…I'm sorry… I really didn't think that it would be a problem…I mean, it's only for a short while…" She stammered, taken aback. "Whatever! Just make sure he leaves after the ride. I don't like him." With that, Klonoa closed his eyes and leaned back, ignoring everything else around him. She wished she'd never asked.

Lolo sulked off – looking for another place to rest. There was an empty chair near the place where Theo was sitting. Why had he wanted to come along, anyway? She never had found out. Besides, maybe Klonoa's new found annoyance would have more to say than the Dream Traveler himself. She slowly walked over to the purple velvet chair beside the lone creature and sat down, desperate for some sort of friendly conversation.

"Hi Theo. You don't have to sit here all by yourself, you know?" She greeted.

"Oh! H..hi!" Theo jumped, startled. His eyes looked sad. "Uh…yeah… I…just didn't know if I was really welcome…" The white-furred creature stammered. "They didn't seem too happy when you allowed me to come… Thanks again, by the way…" "Oh, it's no problem! But why exactly do you need to go to Mira-Mira anyway?" She wondered.

"Well…umm…" It took him a long time to answer, as if he was still trying to form a response. Lolo passed him an odd look. "Uh, actually I came here on vacation from Mira-Mira with some so called 'friends' – they happened to be quite wealthy, enough to afford the ride anyway, and they invited me along. But, long story short, things didn't go quite as planned, and I went off on my own – I just had to get away from them for a while… It seems they weren't really my friends after all… I was going to come back before they left, but apparently they'd caught a boat a few days earlier instead – they just left me there! I couldn't believe it! … And I had no way to get home…so…" The creature hung his head, Lolo looked down at the floor as well. "Yeah, that sounds like something the other Priestesses would do to me…" She thought she understood.

For a moment, both were silent. Lolo watched Theo's eyes begin slowly trailing back up toward the place where the Dream Traveler was sitting, that unpleasant look still on his face. He kept shuffling distractedly in his seat, and when he wasn't looking toward the Dream Traveler, he kept his head down – eyes sullen. She couldn't hold the question in anymore – "Do you know Klonoa from somewhere?" – nevertheless, she regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Theo's face darkened. "No." "Oh…" Silence again.

But now she really did want to know – for his sharp answer had already proved her suspicions – Theo did indeed know him. Why wasn't Klonoa being honest with her? One more try, maybe if she just lightly prodded the topic…

"It's just that you seem uncomfortable… Is something…wrong?" No answer. "You don't need to worry…if you are… I know Klonoa's been acting weird, but he's actually very nice. I just don't understand what's gotten into him the passed few days, ever since the night before the trip… I don't know, maybe he's just stressed or something." She said it casually, with a warm smile. However, much to her surprise, she saw Theo's face twist in fury –obviously not directed at her – as he turned his face toward the wall. What really shocked her though, was when she saw a tear spill from his left eye, dripping slowly down his face and onto the floor. She gasped. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! Did I say something wrong?" He wiped the water from his eyes, swiping his hand across his dampened cheek. "No, it's nothing… I just don't feel that good…" Now she was more confused than ever, though it was obviously time to let that particular issue go for now.

"If anyone's hungry, dinner will be served for our special guests in the galley, please, come enjoy yourselves." Lolo turned toward the lobby entrance. It was one of the captain's assistants that spoke.

"We get food here, really?" Lolo heard Aquette's voice pipe up from where she sat next to Marris, as usual, in the middle of the room – her face peering over the back of the couch. She looked slightly surprised. "Of course!" Replied the sailor. "What sort of service would we be providing if we starved our guests the whole trip. Besides" He added with a smile. "Don't forget that this is usually just for the rich – and not even they would pay that much money to cross if they suffered the whole way!" "What will you be serving?" Wondered Vioris from where he rested, beside the usually alone Icarus – for the rat-like creature was the only other person that the bat would share a few words with. "Well, to keep with the theme of the sea we have to serve some fish, and tonight we will also have a salad and baked potatoes. You're welcome to take a seat whenever you like, we'll be bringing it out in about 10 minutes."

"C'mon Theo, let's go check out the galley. Maybe if you eat something you'll feel better." Lolo stood up, waiting. "Uh…I don't think…I don't know if I'm really hungry…" Theo sputtered. "I think I'll just stay here…" Lolo frowned. "But you must at least be a little hungry – we've been on board for over three hours now. You'll be starving by the time we go to bed if you don't have something to eat… Besides, you don't have to have very much, if you don't want to." She insisted sternly. Theo sighed. "…Okay… I suppose you're right." The white-furred creature got up slowly, seeing that the Priestess wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Good. You'll feel better after this, you'll see." Lolo said brightly. The two headed off into the dinning room.

Several travelers had already assembled inside the galley; around the large, rectangular table that was set in the center of the room. She spotted Klonoa. He was sitting by himself in a seat near the middle, but instead she sat down next to Marris, who was sitting near the edge of the table. Theo looked around, seeming a bit intimidated by the group. "There's an empty seat right here." Lolo pointed out, beckoning to the chair beside hers. He took the corner seat she had mentioned, looking at her appreciatively.

Over the next five minutes everyone flowed in through the door – one by one – and took a seat somewhere along counter. The food was brought in soon after.

"This looks great!" Marris remarked from where he sat, between Aquette and Lolo. "Make sure you get your fill everyone" Friedole reminded. "We probably wont be having any other good meals for a while." "And I'd say we deserve it after what happened today. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that Ussannis was able to conjure up that many puppets. If it hadn't have been for Klonoa we might have been in real trouble." Vioris added. "Quite true…" Agreed Friedole. He turned his gaze to Klonoa, scrutinizing him thoughtfully. "Though I still find it odd you never said a word about these powers until you used them today, Klonoa."

"Well, like I said I was a bit afraid…" The Dream Traveler answered, trying to act a bit embarrassed. "I find that hard to believe…" Friedole said quietly, under his breath. Though it wasn't known if that had been his intention or not, the words were still loud enough for everyone to hear. "Indeed." Seconded Leorina. "It's quite interesting that all you did was play 'yo-yo' with your ring, while the whole time you knew in fact that you had that kind of power…" "Yes, that is a bit strange…" Eneste nodded in agreement.

"But it's the truth!" Klonoa insisted. "I was never able to use them before, and I was a bit scared to try. I was ashamed to admit it, so I never said anything about my powers at all. I secretly started trying to use them recently though, but I didn't want to mention it until I figured it out for sure… If you must know…I'll admit that it was me who singed those trees last night by the temple – not Ussannis! I didn't mean to…it was an accident! I was practicing for today in case I needed them. I was just nervous about bringing it up, so I tried to come up with another explanation for the mess…" Everyone looked at him in surprise, including Lolo who raised an eyebrow. He had insisted that it had to have been Ussannis – but the whole time he'd known that the insane magician actually had nothing to do with it. He had done it himself.

"Really? So you lied about it, then." Inquired Friedole. "Err, yes…I guess. Again, I just really didn't want anyone to know for a while, as I still didn't feel entirely comfortable using them. The only reason I did today was that it seemed like I didn't have that much of a choice. Otherwise I never would have! Not for a while anyway…" The table was hushed for a moment. "Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad that you have that magic! If it came in handy earlier today, I'm sure it will come in handy later as well. I'm glad you're on our side." Said Aquette, chugging down a glass of cider at the same time. Klonoa smiled, but Lolo shivered at the shadows in his eyes.

"Wait! What exactly happened, what'd he do?" Theo piped up unexpectedly, though Lolo saw he had been holding in the question since the conversation started. He hadn't been able to keep it to himself any longer. "Well, Klonoa's the Dream Traveler, you know. We were in battle today and he used some new powers we'd never seen before to rid us of the pests." Friedole explained simply, looking frustrated that he had take the time to catch up an un-wanted guest.

"But…" He continued more slowly. "Not all of us put on an impressive front…" He turned his eyes harshly on Lolo, who flushed completely red. She'd known this was coming, but in front of_ everybody_? "Lolo, what happened? You said you knew how to use some basic abilities. I would've picked someone else, if I had known…" "I…I do! I do know them! But…under the pressure, I guess I…" She sputtered, feeling everyone staring at her. Theo passed her a surprised glance, while Friedole nodded decisively. "Klonoa, I know your magic and her Priestess skills aren't the same thing, but surely the way to use them is relatively similar… And Lolo's your friend, right? I was hoping you'd take some time tomorrow to help her a bit." Her heart jumped, purely from embarrassment. Him – her teacher!

Klonoa frowned. "But I told you, I only just learned how to use them myself!" "But alas you can, and you still could under pressure – even though you lacked experience. I want you to work with Lolo." Friedole insisted. "But…" "And that's an order! You're the one who begged me and the High Priestess to let her be the one to come – I would never have chosen her otherwise! I could tell she was weak just by looking at her – but you convinced me that she could handle herself, and that you'd keep an eye on her. Now it's your responsibility to follow up and make sure that she doesn't slow us down or prove to be an obstacle!"

Lolo jumped up with a gasp, shocked by the insult. He could tell she 'was weak just by looking at her?' Begged into letting her come? She stared at the two teary eyed. The Priestess had so much she wanted to say, or rather shout, but no words came out. She just couldn't take it all! Lolo turned and dashed out of the galley, toward the outer area of the boat.

"That was harsh!" Leorina confronted their leader, also bolting up. "Have some understanding for the poor girl, she's been through a lot! And I know for a fact that she has the potential that any of those other clones have…maybe more…" "Well, I'm sorry but I can't have someone holding us up – regardless of how much 'potential' they have!" Friedole's voice had become surprisingly cold. "Just lay off of her for a while – that was the first time she's ever been in a situation like that! She can get it by herself, without anyone to teach her!" Leorina still insisted, but Friedole shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not so sure…and we don't have time to take chances. For her sake too, she could end up dead if she doesn't shape up!" He glared at the Dream Traveler. "That's the last time I take advice from a friend of the person in question." Klonoa just stared back wide-eyed, looking confused – though vague amusement played across his face as well. He laughed. "Don't worry, I'll fix her up tomorrow." He said it in a way that was meant to end the conversation. "Well I should hope so…" Friedole sighed, making sure he put in the last word. No one else had anything to say – the table was silent. Theo, who had been watching the whole conversation, rather stunned, now stomped out of the room – running up the stairs after the upset girl.

Lolo watched her tears splash down into the water. The rain had stopped, but the cold still gnawed at her like an angry demon. So, now she was crying – did that make her even more 'weak?'

She stared meekly downward at the stars that were now reflected the lake – the moonlight giving the mist that was rising off the icy water an ethereal glow. So much for all her hopes of impressing the others during the trip. That'd been a wasted dream. She'd felt so excited before. Now all her hopes fell like her tears. Helpful? They could have done better with just about anyone! She hated herself. Why was it that she could never do anything right? She'd try her very best, but in the end, it was never good enough! Her fears had held her back. All that she'd ever existed as was a problem – a living annoyance! She'd always been the one that needed rescuing, the one that couldn't handle things by herself… Apparently she was no different now. She was just bothering everyone again. An 'obstacle'.

Friedole had known her shortcomings all along, then. She was so pathetic that he had been able to realize it right when he'd first seen her. He'd probably seen it clearer than she herself had ever had, but now it lay transparent before her – a truth she'd never wanted to acknowledge. All her past failures. The only reason she'd got to come on the quest at all was Klonoa. The one that always fixed her messes. Now it seemed like even he'd rejected her – maybe he'd just gotten tired of it all…

She barely noticed the footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. "Lolo…" She only looked at Theo out of the corner of her eye as he came to stand beside her, a bit surprised that anyone had bothered to come – much less someone whom she had just met. "Are you alright? That Friedole was a real jerk to you!" "No, he was right…" She sighed, still staring blankly down toward the freezing water – now that she recognized reality she wasn't going to deny it. "You're wrong about that! He wasn't right at all! I know that you can be strong…" Theo persisted. "And what makes you so sure? You barely even know me." Lolo questioned, refusing to lift her head. "I can just tell! You're not as weak as you think you are." Theo enforced sternly. "You didn't see me this morning…" "It doesn't matter! I just know that you have it in you! Don't let him get you down… There's much more to you than there is to those others." "Others? You mean the rest of the Priestesses?" Theo nodded, but Lolo shook her head. "No, they're perfect! They wouldn't have messed up this morning like I did…" She said sadly. "Perhaps not. But, I know that you have the potential to outshine them all! Once you find your strength, you'll make all those others all look bad!"

Now she finally lifted her head, looking at him strangely as she searched his eyes. Why was he saying these things to her? What did it matter to him? – He'd never even seen her before this morning! And tomorrow he'd leave, walking off to his own life as if they'd never met. He gazed back at her warmly, still trying to comfort her. His eyes… She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but his stare seemed so…familiar. There had to be more than he was telling her! She was sure of it! And she had to know what. Lolo opened her mouth to speak, but at that very moment, another figure approached her and the white creature. Lolo wiped her face around to find that it was Leorina. She sighed, though her disappointment struck her by surprise. She realized that she'd expected Klonoa.

"The wind died down, I see." The sky pirate commented awkwardly as she stared over the side, gazing over the now fairly calm waters. Leorina never had been one for this type of conversation, but she felt like she needed to say something. Lolo just stared at her blankly. "Look, don't worry about what he said…" The sky pirate added in a casual voice, seeing that she wasn't going to get far with remarks about the weather. "You _are_ strong! Stronger than me, anyway. You succeeded where I failed. You stuck with your goal! When I realized how hard the High Priestess was going to work me, I turned tail and ran – looking for an easy way to gain power and respect. But that in and of itself was weak, you can't cheat fate. I know that now." Still no answer. The three travelers just stared out into the bleak distance, their eyes reflecting the moonlight in the same way as the water.

Eventually, the rest of the group emerged from the same doorway, heading off to their sleeping quarters – the sound of their feet disrupting the silence. Most of them were careful to keep their eyes away from Lolo as they passed, feeling awkward from that evening's conversation. The only one that passed them a glance was Klonoa, as he slipped out of sight and into his room – his expression un-definable.

"Well, I think I'm going to head off to bed as well." Leorina decided, nudging Lolo's shoulder with her elbow. "I'd suggest that you get some rest now too." With that, she walked off, leaving Lolo and Theo alone once again. "She's right." Theo agreed. "I think it's time to get some sleep. From what I understand, it's sounds like you've got a lot ahead of you tomorrow." She moaned, thinking about the training session with Klonoa that lay ahead of her the next day. That was the last thing she wanted – especially now that they currently weren't on the best of terms. Though she admitted to herself that she was saddened by the fact that he'd never come. Only Theo and Leorina had – two people that she knew much less well.

She nodded. "I suppose. I don't think that I'm going to be able to sleep much though…" "Just forget about it for now, I'm sure everything will go better after tonight." Theo assured her as they separated and headed toward their temporary bunks.

Lolo knew they were lucky to have their own quarters. On most overnight ferries, the groups had to share two rooms – one for females and one for males. However, since the cost of this ride was so high, they each had a private bed – the boat contained over 20 apartments. She was glad. The room was small, and the bed not the most comfortable, but she didn't want to be with any of the others tonight. She tried to force all the invading thoughts out of her mind as she closed her eyes, feeling the gentle sway of the ferry. Her stomach growled – she never had finished her dinner, but it was too late now. Hopefully breakfast would be served in the morning before they docked.

Much to her surprise, she found herself on the verge of sleep very quickly – not a peaceful rest, but a simple, physical tiredness. She prayed that Theo had been right when he said that things would go better the next day.

Gemini sat outside, the breeze from the boat's movement ruffling the fur that had once been Klonoa's. It was three in the morning, but he'd felt the need to be by himself for a while – in the cold night air.

He pondered what he would do tomorrow, when he had to mentor that Priestess. Quite frankly, he'd had the temptation to kill her. It'd be easy, and it would solve his problem – after all, she couldn't learn if she was dead. He was sure that he could find some way to pull off the murder while still maintaining his mask of innocence; for he was an expert in this dark art. Nevertheless, in the end he'd decided against it. The friend of his victim amused him. It was fun to play with her this way. He'd just get through the training session as fast as possible, though he knew it was entirely useless anyway – she'd never be much. He chuckled to himself – at least, nothing more than a pretty face, for she wasn't entirely un-attractive.

"Oh, hey Klonoa." Gemini startled at the voice, surprised to realize that Marris was standing close by. Apparently, he'd come out for some fresh air as well. "Hello Marris." Gemini never turned around. A few moments of silence. "That was a bit stressful wasn't it? At dinner, when that whole thing with Lolo came up? I had noticed that she had a hard time defending herself when we were attacked, but I didn't think that Friedole would humiliate her like that – some of the things he said were a bit over-the-top too. I have to say I kind of felt sorry for her." Marris finally remarked, wanting to create some sort of noise – he didn't like it being so quiet. Gemini just shrugged, no reply. "Actually, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't stick up for her more, I thought Lolo was your friend." The canine-like creature added. "I guess so." "I know that if it'd been Aquette I'd have said something. And I hope she'd have for me too." Now Gemini once again said nothing. "But I've noticed that you two don't seem to be getting along that well. Are you having some sort of tiff or something?" Gemini still didn't answer, but he smiled. Marris – he sure spoke his mind! Too bad for him he didn't realize that could get you in a lot of trouble. "Actually, you're not much like I imagined you to be. I thought you were supposed to be slightly less…cold."

This time Gemini laughed, what a fool! If only he knew he was speaking to a murderer. Maybe he ought to show him… It wasn't easy pretending to be so innocent for so long – it felt like it was time to let out some aggression. Besides, Marris wasn't any help to the group at all.

… Everyone else was asleep, right?

"Really Marris, you don't think I've been acting like how you expected 'Klonoa' to be?" Marris passed him a strange gaze, confused. "Well, no…" Gemini turned around and gave his companion a shadowy smile. "True perhaps, but there's actually a very good reason why that is." Then silence came back over him and he turned away once again, waiting to see what Marris would do. The nosey creature's reaction would determine his fate.

Marris pondered over the situation. Now he was extremely curious, though he was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. It was obvious that the shady figure wasn't going to say anymore unless he asked. Perhaps it would be better not to…in fact he knew it would be, but the dog-like creature just couldn't shake off his curiosity. "And what might that be…?" He spoke the words with slight hesitance, finding himself afraid of the answer. Somehow, something about the Dream Traveler had become rather sinister.

Darkness came across the face of the killer. Just as he'd expected. How very predictable this person was – a dime a dozen. Another that didn't know when to stop asking questions. Unfortunately for Marris, it was the wrong answer if he wanted the good ending. He had just lost Gemini's twisted game.

"I'm not him." Gemini answered simply, his voice cold. "What?" Marris choked, surprised. "What do you mean by that?" There was no reply, but the killer turned and took a few steps forward. With alarm, Marris realized that Gemini was slowly advancing toward him, the canine creature stumbling backward slower still. He didn't like this. He was considering calling out to the others when Gemini's words, lifeless and cold, froze him.

"He's dead. I killed him. I killed Klonoa." Marris gasped in horror, but before he could utter a single sound he found the claws of Gemini's last victim around his neck, now the killer's own. Gemini glared at Marris straight in the eye, a sadistic glow in his own that was completely unsuited to his present form. Marris' whole body shook with terror. "Unfortunately, that was one of those 'I told you, so now I have to kill you deals'."

Gemini closed his eyes, a light of bright magic shot through him and straight into Marris – the dog-like creature feeling his voice fade. "That's better." Gemini whispered cruelly. "There's no need to wake the other's now, is there? Besides, there'd be no one around to hear your last words anyway."

With that, the murderer lifted the canine off the ground – his powers assisting him to make up for the lack of physical strength that his new body contained. Marris looked up fearfully at the maniacal creature that held him up by his neck, now surrounded by a chilling blue aura. The claws of his attacker were digging into him so tightly that they were beginning to pierce the skin. Blood spilled over Gemini's hands, but he simply narrowed his eyes at his terrified victim. "My name's Gemini – remember that! Oh, and don't worry, I'll make sure I say farewell to Aquette for you."

In a single, swift movement, Marris was hurled toward the edge of the ferry with outstanding force – Gemini's magic giving extra power to his throw. He wanted to cry out in terror as he was propelled backward, leaving a trail of blue magic as he flew – but no sound came out, his voice truly was gone. The canine's body crashed against the railing, leaving blood on the side of the boat as the fence gave way and Marris plummeted into the dark lake.

It was no use to call for help, Gemini had made sure of that. All Marris could do was to try to keep his head above the freezing water, but the whole time the ship only moved farther and farther away. There was no way he could keep up, and the icy chill was sapping his strength fast. Tears rolled down his face as he felt impending doom come over him. He hoped Aquette would be safe. Regret formed inside his soul – why did his quest have to end this way? The last thing he saw was Gemini staring coldly back at him, dark amusement on his face as he watched Marris, his second victim, vanish slowly beneath the waves. Swallowed up by the Lake of Seclusion.

* * *

_How was that? Good? Corny? Please review! _


	5. Chapter Four: Rising Tensions

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_At long last, here is the fourth chapter! Be forewarned, this is a long installment (about 14 pages on my Microsoft Word)._

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

"Marris?" Aquette called out as she turned the corner towards her friend's bunk. She had yet to see him this morning.

How odd... It wasn't like him to sleep in.

Everyone else was in the galley, finishing up the last bits of their breakfast – strange, he was hardly ever late for anything involving food!

She hadn't been worried up until recently. After all, yesterday had been a bit rough – perhaps he was in fact just tired. But all the same, enough was enough! Aquette had decided that it was time to wake him.

"Marris?" She called again as she approached the door to his room, tapping on it lightly. Still no response. How deep of sleep was he in, anyway? "Marris, are you in there?" She yelled aloud, trying to jolt him awake. The words merely echoed hollowly around the hall of the ferry. "Marris! Come on – get up!" She called out once more, raising her voice yet again. Silence, nothing more.

Now she was becoming a little uneasy. Surely she would have woken him by now…

Aquette knew she shouldn't just barge in, but she had to make sure he was all right. She slowly twisted the knob of the polished wooden door, and was a bit surprised to find that it wasn't locked as she'd expected. The startled leopard-like girl lightly pushed it aside on its hinges, peeking in towards the bed.

Empty. The blankets were ruffled, as if he'd gotten up at one point, but now the room was vacant.

For a moment, her heart went numb. Where else could he be? If he was in fact awake, then why wasn't he at breakfast? And why had no one seen him?

An icy cold shiver shot down her spine as she turned and bolted toward the galley, the door still hanging open.

She had known Marris since they were young, and they'd lived close by each other all their lives – she didn't like this. _Please let him be all right!_ She begged silently to herself as she ran.

Lolo quickly set down her empty plate on the counter with the others, only to retreat straight back to the lone chair near the wall. At least she felt better now – she'd been starving all night after abandoning dinner that evening, but a large breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes had cured that. Nonetheless, the other problems created last night in the galley still lingered.

She had hardly spoken to anyone that morning. Theo had passed her a morning greeting, but she just wasn't in the mood to talk. Her eyes traveled to where Friedole sat, still stuffing his oversized face with far more than his share of waffles and blackberry jam. His words still hurt.

Klonoa was sitting by himself as well, near the opposite corner of the room – absent-mindedly running his fingers over the surface of the ring he held in his hands.

Lolo had thought about going over to see if he was back to his old self after another night's sleep, but his dour expression told her enough.

She missed the "old" Klonoa terribly – she still didn't understand what had happened to him that evening before last. True, it wasn't that long ago – it still made sense that he might just be going through some weird phase, but… It was odd, when she was near him his presence felt completely different – almost as if he wasn't Klonoa at all. She wondered if he would ever be like her old friend again. She hoped so, but… It was almost as if the person she'd known had died…

And either way, she was too humiliated to talk to him, after what had happened last night. She wondered if Friedole would really make him mentor her later. And for crying out loud, she hoped not!

"Lolo?" Theo's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Hmm?" She lifted her head up toward the white creature. "I…I was wondering, would it be okay if I came with you today, when you leave?" He spoke with hesitation.

Oh, right… He was supposed to be leaving that afternoon.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, confused – was he saying that he didn't want to go home after all? "Well, the truth is I don't have much of a home to go back to… I live in Mira-Mira, but…I don't have a family or anything." He admitted sadly. "Oh, really? You don't?" She was quite surprised. He shook his head. "No. And my friends…well…I told you what happened. This quest or whatever that you're on sounds slightly more purposeful than my lonely daily-life, and I think I could be helpful – I'm good with a sword! Please, can't I come?" He looked at her hopefully, pleading with his eyes. For it was very important that he convinced her.

She sighed. "Well, it's fine with me of course. But I'm afraid that I'm not the one you should be talking to. The thing that I was in charge of was with who got to board the ferry. If you want to come with us once we dock, it's Friedole you need permission from, not me."

Theo looked down, disappointed. "Yeah, I figured, but I was hoping that maybe you had some say in it. Friedole doesn't seem very fond of me…" _Neither do a few other people_… Lolo thought to herself, thinking again of Klonoa.

"We'll be docking pretty soon wont we? I suppose I should go ask him, then…" Theo finally concluded before turning to walk away. However, after a couple of steps he looked back once more. "Umm, by the way, are you feeling any better this morning than last night?" She smiled. "Yes. Thank you." He returned the smile before continuing his nervous approach toward the over-stuffed leader.

He would have a hard time getting permission, many still didn't approve of her choice of letting him come for the ride in the first place. She hoped he'd convince Friedole though, she rather liked him. At least he'd speak to her once in a while, something that seemed hard to come by recently… Nevertheless, his behavior last night still seemed a bit strange. She still didn't understand why he had cared about what they said – what did he know? – She hadn't even met him until earlier that same day! And yet, he'd acted as if he'd known her for quite a long time…

She was startled out of her thoughts again as the sound of doors slamming open echoed through the room.

"Is Marris in here? " A voice called out. Shivers shot done Lolo's spine at the tension in the words. "Please, tell me someone's seen him!" Everyone turned to look, Aquette had burst into the galley through the secondary entrance. She looked upset, and her worries were beginning to translate into tears.

"You mean he wasn't in his room?" Vioris looked toward her in disbelief. Aquette shook her head. "But he has to be!" Eneste insisted. "No one's seen him all morning, where else could he be?" Aquette didn't answer, but the expression on her face was enough to say that she didn't know. A wave of apprehension spread through the crowd. Something didn't feel right, and for a moment, no one said anything – their lips sealed with death-like silence. It was a few moments later that the beginning of a sob escaped from Aquette's mouth.

Friedole got up from where he sat. "I guess we had better go take a look and see if we can find the lad, I can't imagine where he could have possibly gotten to…" Aquette preferred not to think about that…

The whole group followed Friedole and Aquette out of the galley and up the stairs as they began their search.

Only one person hesitated, remaining in the room. Theo. Images from a dark memory danced in his mind, his whole body beginning to shake. _Please…no – it can't be! Not again…_ He forced himself to look toward the stairway, but Klonoa had already disappeared from view. After a few more moments of stillness, Theo flashed back into action and motion returned to him. He hurried after the rest of his companions.

No one talked much, though occasionally someone would yell out the name of the missing traveler, only to be greeted by silence. It didn't make sense why anything would have happened to Marris, but, though no one could put their finger on it, something was definitely wrong. They were all eager to find him, hoping to prove themselves mistaken and have their nerves eased. But it was at the front deck of the ferry that the whole group finally came to a stop. Bitter gasps filled the air as every eye caught glimpse of a ghastly sight. Blood.

The railing of the ship was severed and snapped in half, the remaining pieces of it severally bent. The dull gray metal was covered in crimson liquid, dried black around the edges.

Everyone knew it, but no one dared speak the words aloud. Marris was dead.

He had been murdered. Thrown overboard over the railing… It must have been sometime during the night, while everyone else had been sleeping soundly in their beds…

Lolo's face turned pale, her mind frozen. She felt a confusing mix of things: horror, sadness, and perhaps, most of all, confusion. She looked around at her remaining companions.

Klonoa's expression was strange, he looked upset, but his eyes told a different story. Everyone else was in silent shock, no one moving, and only the shadows in their own eyes betrayed their terror. Theo's head was down, his whole posture slumped. Intense sorrow and regret painted his face.

Aquette was the first one to utter a sound. She fell to her knees, tears spilling down her face as wailed in grief. Lolo felt sorry for her, she didn't know her well at all, but she knew that Marris and Aquette had been friends for a long time.

Friedole slowly walked up to investigate the grisly scene, along with a solemn Leorina. Several other travelers went over to Aquette, in an attempt to console her, though they remained silent.

"What…what happened?" Eneste asked sadly, the first person to speak. "Marris has been thrown over the railing…" Friedole answered simply, regret in his voice. "But the only people on this boat are us and a couple of trained workers, who would've…?" Icarus wondered aloud.

"Theo!" Klonoa suddenly burst out. "Don't forget about him – he was onboard too!" The Dream Traveler looked toward the outsider in mock horror. "What?" That pulled Theo out of his slump. "No! I…I would never do such a thing!" Everyone just stared at him. Lolo's mind reeled – _Theo? _

"Stop it! Don't even look at me like that! I'm not a killer!" "Liar!" Klonoa insisted. "Who else would've done it, certainly none of us ever would, and the workers on the ferry are monitored by the law force! Stop denying it – you sick murderer – you think you can just come with us and kill us off one by one? You're probably Ussannis' right-hand-man! –" "Listen you!" Theo interrupted. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm innocent and _you_ know it! What's wrong? Have to put the blame on someone don't you!" Theo looked absolutely furious, the anger he'd been harboring against the Dream Traveler had practically boiled over now. "You're the one that's doing all the lying! You bastard!" He turned toward the rest of the astonished group, all of them mesmerized by the confrontation. "Why would I have done something like this? I didn't really even know who he was! Besides, do you think I'd have the strength to do that kind of damage even if I wanted to! Just shut up and leave me and everyone else alone!" He screamed, turning back to Klonoa, his face showing red through his fur. They both stood completely still, their breath coming heavily – claws un-seethed and fangs bared. Their eyes shown with a savage light. For a moment, Lolo was worried that they were going to rip each other apart.

Klonoa opened his mouth to yell a rebuttal, but before the Dream Traveler could speak, Friedole ran up and pushed his way between them. "That's enough! We don't know who's to blame yet! Calm down and act civilized, both of you! Rest assured I will be keeping my eye on Theo, but first things first – we must report this to the captain." He turned toward the others. "Icarus, would you inform the workers of what has happened, and tell them that I wish to speak with Captain Lukas." The bat nodded and hurried off. "The rest of us should go off to the main room. Stay where I can see you for now."

Everyone hung back a moment, their eyes hanging over Theo. The white-creature was still panting, covered in both sweat and tears. He seemed to have calmed down, but beneath his fur his face was still red. His heart ached; the stares he was receiving were full of hatred and anger. Aquette struck him a gaze as cold as ice as she passed by, prompted on by Vioris and Eneste. She looked like she wished she could kill him herself. _But I didn't… _Theo thought helplessly to himself. He wondered if he should have told them about… – No! That would've ended badly! He'd almost said too much as it was. He though of his confrontation with the 'Dream Traveler' – if only he could get his hands around that fiends own neck. _Why had he had to do this? Was this kind of thing all just fun and games to him? _He felt cold with his own personal fury. Lolo's eyes were blank as she looked at him doubtfully. He felt like crying.

Eventually everyone slowly walked along after their leader, as if in a trance. Their hardened eyes still hovering around Theo as the remaining members of the group descended down the stairs and into the main hall of the ferry.

It was about twenty minutes later when Icarus walked through the same, creaky doors. Friedole had gone up to address him privately, after which he had announced that he was going up top to speak with Lucas, who was not only the captain, but also the owner of the whole ferrying business.

At first, he'd seemed hesitant to leave the others alone. He had considered dragging Theo along with him as a precaution, but had decided that he wanted to talk with the captain without other listeners. Aside from that, it seemed reasonable to think that if the murderer was still on board, which actually seemed quite likely, that he or she would probably be lying low for a while, now that everyone was on their toes. Besides, he had to act calm, otherwise everyone who was depending on him might panic.

Lolo didn't say much. No one did. Everyone merely sat quietly by themselves in one of the many red velvet chairs that were scattered neatly around the main hall. Unless it had been a wayward worker, chances are that the killer was in that very same room. The thought chilled the hearts of those present, as they scrutinized those that they had once thought trustworthy.

_Theo_. That name played over and over in Lolo's head like a broken record. It just didn't make sense. She could find nothing about him that marked him as suspicious, in fact she had thought him quite the opposite, but Klonoa had been right when he had wondered who else the murderer could possibly be. Surely none of Marris own companions would have committed such a crime… And with the employees monitored…

But it couldn't be! Her palms sweated even though her whole body felt cold. She could only pray that Klonoa had been wrong in his accusation. …For if he was right, then didn't it mean that she was partly to blame for Marris' death as well? She was after all, the one that had allowed Theo onboard, if it turned out that he was the one… No! Theo couldn't be a killer, it had to be someone else. Perhaps Ussannis had sent someone to do the job, but then…how had the assassin gotten on and off of the boat in the middle of the ocean? And just a few of the magician's puppets would be too weak to be dangerous, but he wouldn't have been able to send many because the others would have been woken by all the noise they made. And why Marris? She shivered, unable to find any other explanation. Then, did that mean it really was someone that was within eye distance from her? But, how…

She sighed miserably. Nothing at all made sense! Absolutely nothing!

Lolo kept her head down, afraid that some people might already be holding her decision against her. She could still Aquette's terrible weeping and, at times, cursing, from the opposite corner of the room. It had been on purpose when Lolo had found a chair as far away from the distraught girl as possible.

On rare occasions, she'd steal a quick glance upwards, wanting to see what was going on while she remained lost in her own world of desolate thoughts. Eneste and Vioris had remained beside Aquette, the vixen keeping a hand on the shoulder of her grieving friend and leaning over to whisper something in her ear. They were near sobbing as well, for the two had known both Marris and Aquette long before they were assigned to this quest.

She let her eyes travel quickly over to Theo, finding him alone near her far left. The expression on his face still looked dazed, and the feelings flickering in his eyes were too difficult to decipher for her to even attempt. He was careful to keep his gaze to himself, nervous of what the others might do with him. He was obviously in pain as well, not to mention that he had also lost any chance he'd ever had at coming along with the group.

Klonoa never had sat down, he just hovered on the outskirts, watching the others. He shuffled continually as if he wasn't quite sure of what to do with himself.

He was acting strange again.

The Dream Traveler somehow just didn't seem as shaken as all the others, despite his outburst earlier. _But he _must_ be upset! _Lolo thought as she watched him, how could he not be? Maybe she should try talking to him again, she wondered. But… No. He had made it obvious that Theo was already guilty in his eyes. _Then he must be mad at me too…_ She admitted sadly. She let her gaze droop down again, and let her eyes slowly close until she once again heard the voice of Friedole; vanishing again into her private place of dark feelings.

The door creaked open almost 45 minutes later, most of the pathetic group turned to stare at their leader expectantly. Sadness came over Friedole himself as he gazed out at what remained of his troupe, all their faces stained and solemn. With a sigh, he informed them that they'd be docking soon, and that afterwards they would continue on their quest as normal, leaving forces of the law to look into the murder. He told them to keep an eye out, and if they saw anything suspicious to report it to him immediately. He noted that thought he couldn't rule out an attack by Ussannis, he thought it unlikely (for much the same reasons as Lolo).

He also mentioned that since it was to early to know the identity of the murder, that everyone was to be treated as innocent until charged. Lolo doubted that would happen.

"But what about Theo?" Asked Klonoa accusingly. Friedole shook his head. "Don't start this again… We have no proof that he did or did not commit this act one way or another. We cannot take action against anyone until we have proof."

"So you're just gonna let him go? After what he did to Marris?" Aquette looked at her leader in disbelief, tears still running down her cheeks. "Actually." Friedole paused for a moment, as if thinking over his response one more time. "The captain and I have decided that it'd be best if he comes with us while the investigation is finished, under my supervision." He turned toward the desolate creature, who had looked up when he had first heard his name. "Otherwise, he will be arrested. Again, there is no proof he's done it, and it is wrong to assume. But as a suspect, he cannot leave on his own." Friedole was, in his own way, a well-respected member of the force itself, so it was perfectly legit for him to keep Theo under custody.

"What is your choice?" Now he addressed the person in question. "I…I want to come! Please." Theo looked up pleadingly toward the groups' leader. He simply nodded. "Very well." So Theo had gotten his wish after all. In spite of it all, Lolo almost couldn't help a smile.

"What!" Aquette exclaimed. There were similar, outraged cries erupting from various places all through the room. Friedole held his hands up for silence. "I am the group leader, and a member of the force. This is my decision, and I have been allowed to make it. I promise, I will make sure you are all safe."

"Just like you made sure Marris was safe?" Asked Vioris spitefully. Friedole simply pretended not to hear, but…was that a flinch?

Lolo felt their glares baring into her the whole rest of the trip. If they weren't angry before, they were now. None of them were happy about Theo coming with them – most would rather have seen him behind bars. The only person with a look of sympathy on her face was Leorina, who hadn't spoken a single word since the incident. What could she possibly be pondering for so long? Did she not blame Theo? Even it that was true, it was only her against all the others. Lolo wondered what was going through all her companion's minds as they scrutinized her, watching her and Theo's every move, their faces distraught with disgust.

She blushed in self-consciousness and shame. Now she wished she'd just left the white thing back at the port…

Lolo stepped carefully off of the ramp that connected the boat to the wooden planks of the old dock. She shivered – it was freezing here! Though the noon sun shown brightly above her head, the place was still unnaturally cold. Snow already began to gather in her hair and dampen her clothes as she stood back and waited for the others, her pink dress becoming speckled in white.

Theo skirted out quickly and scampered to the side, trying to avoid getting in anybody's way. There were a few moans and groans as the rest of the group exited the ship, but for the most part their hearts were still too downcast themselves to notice the chill. Aquette was the last to disembark, flanked by Eneste.

For a moment, the leopard-like girl looked as though she was about to turn back, but the vixen held her tight and spoke some gentle, soft words – too quiet for Lolo to make out what she had said. After a moment, and some more prompting, Aquette finally nodded, and Eneste smiled warmly.

Aquette had almost decided not to continue. However, in the end, and after much encouragement, she had resolved not to quit – despite her grief. She detested the idea of traveling with the prime suspect for Marris' murderer, but she admitted that it was not proved to be Theo. Besides, it seemed only right to finish what she had started, for Marris' sake as well – he had left with the same goal, she'd have to complete it for both of them now.

When everyone was out, the group slowly trudged up toward the town. Lolo could hear the whistle of the ferry sound and its engine start up as it prepared to start the journey back. The forces of the law would be waiting.

In fact, some investigators had already boarded at this dock as well. A few travelers had been questioned as the group left, but most were still reluctant to talk about the horrid events they had discovered that morning.

The town, though, was beautiful and peaceful. It was almost hard to feel sad at the sight of the cozy, wintry village. The citizens were out merrily darting between the cobblestone streets from one store to another – adorned with knitted gloves and hats, and large, puffy coats that made them look twice their size. White 'Christmas' lights lit up the rims of the rustic wood and brick buildings, while warm candlelight shown out through the dusty windows, from which odd trinkets and goodies of all shapes and sorts could also be seen. Sweet scents drifted to Lolo's nose from the open doors of the shops, tempting her senses. And everything was frosted in soft-looking powder, it was difficult not to want to run off and see all the village had to offer, but in reality, no one was in the mood for that – nor did they have the time.

Following their leader, the whole group walked straight through town on the main path – there would be no sightseeing.

Friedole pointed out the mountains in the distance; a tall peak nearly directly ahead of them was their destination – the place where Ussannis was keeping himself. They were to trudge their way to the base of the peak, where they would stop for the night. There, depending on the conditions, they would form a plan for the next day's attack on their enemy.

Lolo had a hard time concentrating, between the aesthetics and the memories. She couldn't help but think of the last time her and Klonoa had been here, a few years back when they had been gathering the 'elements'. They hadn't spent much time in the village, her having ridden 'in' Klonoa's ring as he snowboarded down the slopes with a hover-board that Popka had stolen.

She couldn't help but smile, it seemed like everyone was so much happier in those days. She looked over at Klonoa now, his face straight and solemn as he padded dimly through snow like all the others – she still couldn't believe that that was the same person that resided in her fond memories…

It was already getting dark by the time they reached their stop, but the trip had been smooth. They had braked once or twice to rest and eat, but that was it. Just lots of walking.

Lolo brushed aside the snow on a nearby log and plopped down, exhausted and freezing. Everyone else sat themselves down somewhere as well – at a fairly good distance from both Lolo and Theo – except for Leorina and Friedole, who took out some dry wood and scratch paper from the pack Friedole had been carrying and began to set up a fire to keep the group warm.

At least now she could relax. Lolo walked over, grabbed one of the small blankets from another of the packs, and wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting back down. She heard Leorina cry out a disgusted curse as she burnt herself on a match, but she quickly pulled out another of the six remaining, struck it, and held it's burning point against the small branches and paper. The birth of a fire began.

Lolo let her frozen muscles un-tense as best she could, closing her eyes and huddling in her blanket, waiting for the fire and its warmth to grow. She only looked up when she heard Klonoa's voice – the first time in while. Friedole was speaking to him, the Dream Traveler's expression reflecting annoyance and slight distaste. She was pondering what they could possibly be discussing when Friedole suddenly turned and padded up to her. Her tired eyes gazed up at him blankly.

"Klonoa is ready to help you with your skills now." He said simply. "Go practice for a while, you need to sharpen your skills for tomorrow." "What?" She had completely forgotten about the promised training session during the day's earlier events.

"But…no! No! I'm too tired!" She sputtered out, completely flustered. The idea still didn't appeal to her, especially not after walking through snow for hours. Klonoa was watching her with a look of both irritation and impatience. She blushed slightly.

"I…I don't need any help!" She announced defiantly, embarrassed. Friedole let out an exasperated sigh. "Lolo, you don't understand… You're not ready for tomorrow as you are now – in reality you should never have been allowed to come on this trip at the level you're at." She hung her head, ashamed and disheartened – she didn't have it her right now to be angry. Friedole shook his head. "But there's nothing we can do about it now. Just…just go train and see what you can do." He commanded, and with that walked off – watching from the corner of his eye to be sure she got up.

With a groan, Lolo reluctantly left behind her blanket and stood up, facing the Dream Traveler. He smiled a weird grin as she walked toward him – he looked severely frustrated with her for causing him to have to go play teacher, but at the same time he looked slightly amused by her embarrassment.

"Come on. We'll go off to that clearing there and see what we can do with you. Let's just get this over with." Without saying another word, they scurried off through a thin layer of trees, out towards the dimly lit, snow covered, field.

Theo watched them go, anxiety in his eyes.

"No! Not like that!" Lolo lost her balance and fell down face first in the cold snow, Klonoa's harsh words startling her out of her futile concentration. They'd been out practicing for nearly an hour now. A long, freezing hour. But still they were getting nowhere. Lolo didn't understand, she'd done better than this before at home. Perhaps it was just the fact that Klonoa was her mentor that made her nervous.

"Come on – get up!" The Dream Traveler impatiently nudged Lolo's side with his shoe as she lay pathetically in the powdered ice. She groaned as she got up slowly to her feet. Both her and Klonoa were extremely frustrated.

"One of your Priestess things involves making some sort of shield doesn't it? Why don't you give that a try?" He suggested, trying to hold in his irritation. "But this time, _please_, get it right so we can go back!" He added pleadingly. She wasn't sure whether to wallow in self-shame or kick him in the face. She understood why he would be getting annoyed, but at the same time, he was seriously ticking her off as well; though she didn't happen to be one to show her temper.

Nervously, Lolo closed her eyes and held out her hands, trying to summon up what she had learned. "Free your mind of everything else." Klonoa couched. "Just focus on what it is you want to achieve."

Pah! He made it sound so easy! It must be simpler for him – he didn't have any incantations to remember either! All he needed was that stupid ring!

She struggled to remember the words her mentor back at home had taught her, but they once again eluded her mind. It was no use. At last she sighed in defeat.

"What? What's wrong now?" Klonoa's voice sounded strained and exasperated. "Don't tell me you can't remember these words either! Surely you must know _something_! I mean come on, that's what you spend practically everydaypracticing, is it not?"

"Just back off!" She flushed completely red. "I can't think when you're right there yelling in my ear! Besides, you can't really talk – you don't have anything you have to memorize like I do!" "It's not my problem if you weren't born as fortunate as me, and the fact that your memory sucks is not my problem either." His words were matter-of-fact and condescending as he watched her struggle. She turned and looked at him, shocked by the tone in his voice. "And don't think that it's me forcing you to do this, that's Friedole! I couldn't care less! I'd much rather be sitting by fire right now than trying to help someone who has no hope anyway!" Now his face turned scarlet as well – his patience was spent.

"What?" Lolo took a step back, stung. "But don't forget that it's because of you that I'm here anyway…" For a moment, he looked bewildered, as if he didn't know what she was talking about, but then he remembered what Friedole had said at the dinner. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, in regards to something that _he_ in fact had never done. But he was also reminded how amusing it was to watch this girl think her best friend had turned against her. He just sighed. "It's a good thing you're cute. You know that?"

Now she was more confused than ever. "_Cute?_"She repeated the word aloud. What was that supposed to mean? All the time she'd known him, he'd never said a thing like that to her before, and the way he'd said it now… She felt anger creeping up her spine. She didn't understand – he had _wanted_ her to come, he'd asked the High Priestess and Friedole specifically – why was he talking to her now like she was trash?

Klonoa smiled wickedly. "Yes, _cute_. Face it, that's about all you're worth – a pretty face! And you certainly don't top the charts there either."

"But if that's what you thought, then why did you ever ask specifically for me to come along to begin with? I'm not nearly as _pretty_ or strong as all the others. … I…I just thought that you wanted to be with me…" Her heart ached, and she regretted the last sentence as soon as it left her mouth. She wished she could grab it back with her fingers and swallow it again.

Klonoa just shrugged, almost laughing at the suggestion that he had actually wanted her company. "How gullible you are! They're just too perfect, those others, just dolls on a string. You and your blunders are _much_ more _entertaining_." He grinned, obviously enjoying himself very much.

"You mean the whole time you've known me it's been a lie? You've never cared about me at all?" She tried to keep her voice steady, but it still trembled terribly. "Not particularly. No." He answered simply. But how could that be? It just didn't make sense. And why would he have put up with her…a completely worthless wannabe…for so long just for _entertainment_? "I…I don't understand…" She stuttered, severally hurt. "What's not to understand?" He shrugged, struggling to recall the stories he'd heard about the real Dream Traveler and the feats he'd done, trying to twist them for his own personal use.

"Klonoa, what's happened to you?" Lolo looked him right in the eyes, hurt. "Happened to me? Why, nothing! …Face it – I _used_ you! You were a tool to help me raise my own status, by cleaning up after your messes and saving you over and over again I was able to gain a reputation – a girl as weak and trusting as you turned out to be perfect for such a job. I guess you could say that I needed you. That's all." Coldness and cruelty blazed on his face.

She just stared at him blankly, completely shocked and appalled. She felt like a knife had just been stabbed through her stomach. Water began to well in her eyes, betrayal sinking into her heart. In the end, she just shook her head in dismay, and all at once quickly turned to dart away.

"Aahhh!" Her squeal echoed over the vast snowy plain – she felt the Dream Traveler's hand grasp her around the neck, his pointed claws digging into her skin. She screamed in terror, but the sadistic creature only tightened his grip on the struggling girl.

He leaned over to whisper something in her ear. "And don't you go telling a word about what I've said to anyone, understood?" She defiantly yelled out a cry for help, but he moved his right hand over her mouth and held her tight against his chest, his left arm pushing against her throat. Her breath came in ragged, nervous gasps as he continued speaking. "You've seen what I can do, now you'd better keep quiet if you know what's good for you and everyone else!" He was only answered by terrified panting. "Understood?" He shook her slightly. She yelped and nodded quickly. He let her go.

Lolo bolted. Her feet carried her away faster over the glittering white surface than she'd ever ran before. She didn't know were she was going, or whether he was following her or not – she didn't care! She didn't want him to have the satisfaction of hearing her weep.

Theo paced nervously from left to right in front of the camp, near the place where Lolo and that _thing_ had vanished into the trees.

"Calm down, Theo. I'm sure they'll be back soon, and Klonoa's perfectly capable – you don't need to worry." Icarus commented as he shuffled aside, Theo having almost walked straight into him. To be honest, the white furred creature was a bit surprised that someone had spoken to him at all, especially the quite one of the group.

Theo shook his head. "But they've been for a long time now, I think maybe we should go look for them. We still don't know who killed Marris either, how do we really know that they're safe?" There was an awkward pause, Theo wondered if that had been the right thing to say, after all, he was suspected more than anyone else. Icarus opened his mouth to speak, but just then Friedole's voice piped up, apparently him having overheard.

"Perhaps you are right… Maybe it was unwise to leave them alone when we still don't know the truth about last night…" Friedole got to his feet, actually looking a bit nervous, but at that very moment Klonoa came trudging out of the woods and into the camp. Theo's heart skipped a beat when he realized that Lolo wasn't with him.

"Oh…there you are." Friedole started, a bit surprised. Theo came bounding up to the returning Dream Traveler. "Where's Lolo? Why isn't she with you?" He demanded, his voice filled with worry. Other's came up to hear his answer as well, but Klonoa just shrugged. "I don't know. She wasn't doing very well with her skills, and got really upset. I tried to calm her down, but she just ran off! I looked everywhere for her, but…"

A bolt of fear hit Theo's heart – _what had he done to her? _"Nice job, _Klonoa_." He spat the word with such bitterness and spite that those around him couldn't help but to be slightly alarmed.

For a moment, Theo almost was unable to contain his fury, but he bit his tongue. It would do no good, and this was not someone you wanted to make angry.

Friedole scrutinized the Dream Traveler, as if trying to come to some internal decision, but in the end he just sighed. "It's getting dark, we had better get a party to go and look for her." He gazed around the group, looking for those strong enough for the search. Aquette was definitely out, and so was Eneste – an otherwise fit choice, but right now her grieving friend needed her by her side. So that left… "Errm…Vioris, Icarus, and Leorina, why don't you see if you can find her." Leorina nodded, eager to make sure that Lolo was all right. "And don't forget about me!" Theo suddenly burst in. "I want to help look for her as well!"

"What? _He's_ coming with us?" Vioris' voice was full of distaste. "No." Friedole answered simply, before Theo could say a word. The odd white creature looked up at him, stung. "I'm sorry." Friedole told him. "But you are under my custody, I cannot have you out of my supervision."

Theo frowned as he watched the search party leave without him, but he knew it was useless. He turned at sat at the opposite end of the camp without making any additional comments, but he soon grew impatient of waiting. Was anyone paying attention to him? He scanned the camp.

The few members remaining in camp were all sitting sleepily by the fire, talking about their plans for tomorrow – they were waiting for the other's to return before they came up with the final result though – he wasn't missing much. But no. No one was watching him. He got up and quickly tiptoed off into the woods. Surely no one would notice if he went to look for just a bit?

The sun was just vanishing down below horizon as evening drew to a close. Theo's mind swarmed with worry, almost afraid of what he would find – after what that fiend had done to Marris… No! He wouldn't think about that!

He wanted to cry out for Lolo, but he was afraid that someone from the search group would hear. If he was caught, he'd be in _big_ trouble. If anyone realized that he had been missing he'd probably be sent straight to jail, at least temporarily. He shivered from the thought, or maybe it was from the cold – the flakes were falling more than ever now, and the chill of the night was settling in.

He'd been looking for her for about forty-five minutes now to no avail, he knew that he really should be getting back. Perhaps the other's had already found her…

But just as he was about to turn around, his ears picked up a faint sound in the distance. A feeble sobbing. _Lolo!_ He picked up his pace and darted quickly in the direction of the noise.

He came to a halt for a moment when he glimpsed a sodden silhouette sitting dejectedly beneath the lower hanging branches of one of the trees. The figure was lightly frosted by the fresh falling snow, and was pressing its knees to its chest, its head bent into them as it wept. One of its hands rested lightly on its neck, as if it hurt. Yes, that was her!

Relief flooded into his heart – at least she was still alive!

He approached her slowly, so as not to startle her. "Lolo?" She jadedly lifted her head to look up at him at the sound of her name. He noted the lightly bleeding claw marks now visible on her neck as she moved her hand away.

"Are you alright?" She nodded slowly. "Yes…I'm fine." She didn't look very fine. "What happened? Did _he_ do this to you?" Theo asked urgently. No answer – he took that as a yes.

"What did he say? Did he hurt you?" He didn't notice any injuries besides the scrapes on her neck, but she sure looked shaken. She looked away, still keeping silent. "Come on! Please, tell me what happened!"

"Don't worry about me… It's getting late, just go back Theo – I'll return to camp after a bit."

"Not until I know what happened! – I'm staying right here." He resolved stubbornly. She sighed, and the words caught on her tongue as her emotions began to escape. "I…I just don't understand it!" She yelled out so suddenly that Theo was almost startled. It looked like there was more she wanted to say, but the sentences were stuck in her throat. She panted heavily, fresh tears running down her cheeks. "I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" She cried out hysterically, unable to contain her feelings any longer, despite what Klonoa had told her. They had to be let out _now_, it didn't matter who she was talking to. Theo just stared at her, eyes wide. "Who? You mean…?"

"Klonoa. All this time I…I trusted him, but…" She tried to wipe her eyes. "He lied to me. It was all a game to him, the whole time, ever since we first met. He _used_ me! …He used me to make himself look good. I just… I can't believe I ever thought of his as my friend!" She broke into full blown sobbing again, her previous attempt to dry her eyes put to waste.

For a moment Theo looked slightly taken aback, if not hurt. "That…that's not true!" He sputtered before he even realized what he was saying. She just looked at him blankly. "Yes, it is. He told me himself…before he grabbed me around the neck and told me not to tell anyone…" She sighed, her words dry. "I don't want to see him again, _ever_. …I can't believe I fell for it all these years. What a fool I am…"

They both were silent, Theo didn't know what to say, almost feeling tears about to fall from his eyes as well. Lolo was to upset to notice the expression on his face.

Theo bit back the lump in his throat. "We…we should be getting back. It's almost completely dark now…" She nodded slowly and hesitantly got to her feet, stiff from sitting there like that so long.

Another sigh. "I…I really was going to go back by myself…" She said, a bit embarrassed that he had come all the way out there to look for her. "I just wasn't in a hurry, I assume he'll be there too…" "It'll be okay, he can't do anything in front of Friedole…" They started walking. "…You have to act like I never told you anything…If Klonoa finds out I told, he'll…! – " Theo nodded. "I know. Don't worry."

Suddenly Lolo stopped walking. "…Theo, did you just hear something?" He stopped and listened. "Like what?" She was about to reply when out of nowhere they both felt something slam into them, knocking them into each other and sending them falling to the ground.

It was hard to make out the details in the darkness, but they looked up to see what looked like deformed fairy-like creatures riding on huge monsters that resembled vicious, snarling dogs – presumably what had pounced at them. They were colored black, red and purple; the saliva spilling from the dog's angry faces a sickening bright green, giving off a glow in the darkness. The hauntingly empty eyes of both the dogs and the other creatures emitted a glow as well – a brilliant blood red.

Lolo and Theo stared up at the terrifying creatures in horror. "They must be some of Ussannis' puppets…" Theo realized, whispering to Lolo. "How can that be? They look so…" She spoke with her eyes still watching the monsters that were still glaring blankly down at them. "Our magician friend has been practicing, apparently…" Theo got up very slowly, trying not the rouse the so far still puppets.

Lolo tried to stand up as well, but just as she got to her feet she was met with a savage growl from one of the canine-like monsters – she let out a shriek and fell back to the ground.

Howling rose from all around the circle of monsters, and from other places in the forest as well. A dark chant came from the voids that were the mouths of the riders. They had only a few seconds to run.

Theo was dragging Lolo at first, until she somehow managed to scramble to her feet; the magician's lifeless demons hot on their tail. They swerved to the left to avoid a silhouette emerging from the shadows towards the right – the dark puppets were everywhere!

"Damn it! – This isn't good!" Theo cursed, hating himself for not bringing along some sort of weapon.

Lolo let out a gasp, pointing straight ahead of them. "Look there!" They came to an abrupt halt – a new group of monsters had assembled before them. The two turned to retreat, but came face to face with the pack of beasts behind them. Theo looked around frantically, panic gripping his soul with icy hands. They were surrounded.

"Lolo! Is there anything you can do about this?" He turned toward his terrified companion. But she didn't answer, her eyes coated in fear. Her whole body shook as she stiffly backed up closer to him – toward the middle of the deadly circle.

Theo didn't feel much better off himself – though he knew their attackers were soulless, un-thinking puppets, it almost seemed as if they were laughing at him, mocking the two stricken travelers with their silence.

He gulped as several of the ghastly riders began to disembark from the larger monsters. Though they were smaller, the fairy-like puppets were just as terrifying – sharp, pointed fangs protruded from their mouths and red and violet markings were drawn all over their thin, semi-solid black bodies, their four wings torn in violent tatters.

They formed another, smaller circle around their shivering prey, spreading out about evenly. Two monsters directly across from each other lifted up one hand each, a blazing yellow stream of light shot between, just missing the faces of Theo and Lolo – the two remained un-moving, though their hearts skipped a beat. There was nothing they could do. This process repeated on their opposite side, and another thin beam shot by.

Eventually, the creatures created a square of light around them, bars shot out from both the top of bottom of the beams, and slowly a cage was formed – the light solidified, and they were trapped.

Lolo put her hands on the still-warm bars, looking out desperately. What did they want them for? And why?

One of the fairy riders lifted up the cage; it's magic, artificial body not bound by the normal limits of strength and muscle. It walked over to its 'dog' and pulled out a rope from a pack on the creature's back. It tied to rope to a hanger on the top of Lolo and Theo's cage, and in turn fastened it around the middle of the canine puppet.

The rider mounted its beast and the group of monsters was off, their unfortunate captives dragged along in the bouncing cage hanging from the side of one of the soulless creatures.

Lolo watched the dark, snowy lands fly by around her, the white surfaces reflecting the pale light from the night sky. It was crowded in the rattling cage, and she was pressed uncomfortably against Theo's back, she felt sweat covering his shaky body as well. What a sad situation this was. Was everyone at the camp safe? She wondered. Or had they all been captured too?

She didn't officially know where they were headed, but it wasn't hard to guess.

A sinking feeling bit at her from inside – _I never should have gone off by myself…I should have returned to camp while I still could… Is fact that Theo was captured my fault too? Oh Goddess Claire – what fate are we headed to?

* * *

_

_Finally, we come the end of Chapter Four! Things we'll be really heating up in the next chapter, and all secrets will be revealed! Reviews would be appreciated. _


	6. Chapter Five: Secrets And A Sapphire

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_Finally – chapter five is finished! I have to say that this was by far the hardest chapter to write for the story so far. Admittedly though, one of the things of the things that I said in the ending notes for the last chapter didn't turn out to be true: first off, not _**all **_of the secrets are revealed here. This is due to the fact that this chapter somehow turned out much longer than I had expected – 20 Microsoft Word pages to be exact, so I didn't go quite as far as I had originally planned to. Since this is a rather intimidating amount of words, I have divided the chapter into 3 parts to make it easier to read. Well, in any case, enjoy! _

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**Part One – The Dark Sapphire**

"Oomph!" Lolo moaned at the sting as her face hit against the cold, grimy floor. The young Priestess just laid there helplessly – dizzy and disoriented from their uncomfortable ride. She winced as she felt Theo's hand smack the back of her head, him being poured out of the tilted cage almost directly on top of her. He groaned painfully only for a moment, before all at once jumping up as suddenly as he had fallen.

"No! – Wait!" Panic grasping him as the situation set in, Theo made a blind dash for the door they had been carried through.

But he was just a bit too late – he reached the bars just as the puppets clicked the door shut from the outside. A growl rumbled in his throat, though all that he could do was watch with his face pressed against the bars as the soulless creatures scurried down the hallway – Ussannis presumably calling his back toys. With a cry of rage, Theo banged his left foot hard against the steel poles, spitting out angry curses. Lolo stared blankly, her pulse still pounding.

After a few more moments of kicking and hissing, Theo's strength gave way to depressive weariness, and he rested his head dejectedly against the locked door, silence falling over him like a dark cloud.

Lolo, now finally beginning to recover from the shock, slowly approached the pathetic creature and laid a concerned, gentle hand on his back, trying to make sure that he was all right. His fur was damp with sweat and she could full his hot skin even through his coat. "Theo…?"

At first there was no response, but eventually he slowly turned his eyes toward her and let out a regretful moan. "Damn it…" He backed up from the useless exit and plopped to a set on the dirty floor, almost in a collapse. Lolo slowly kneeled down and sat next to him, eyeing the disgusting ground distastefully.

After a few more moments he seemed to calm down a bit. Assuming that he was okay, Lolo took to gazing about the room they were held in more closely.

It was definitely a cell. The walls were made of stone just like the floor, and they were covered in dust, mold, and who knew what else – including a dark red stain that looked like blood in one corner. She shivered. The only place that had actual bars was the door – all the other borders were solid. She began to feel a bit claustrophobic, but that was the least of their worries right now.

"What do you think Ussannis wants us for…?" She asked reluctantly, or rather, more like her thoughts escaped her lips. But her companion just shook his head. "How would I know!" He snapped, his breath coming heavily with his stress. For a moment it looked as if he was about to go pound on the door again, but in the end he just put his head in his hands despairingly. "Some fine predicament this is…"

"I wonder if he sent the puppets after the other's as well?" Lolo continued to wonder out loud, turning to her companion. "I hope they're safe…" Theo shuffled backwards, nearing the wall to use it for a backrest – they were probably going to be there a while. "There's was more of them back at camp – even if they were attacked, they may have been able to fight off the puppets." She nodded with a sigh, praying for all of them to be all right – the group didn't need anymore tragedies.

But what of her and Theo now? What was Ussannis going to do with them – was their mission going to end in the same way it had for Marris?

Marris… She had completely forgotten about him…and the fact that she was with the person that was the leading suspect in his murder.

"Theo…can I ask you something?" He nodded. "What?"

"Who do you think killed Marris?" Perhaps it was an odd time to ask such a question, but she had to get it off her chest – to rid herself of that nagging worry. She tried to catch his eyes – hoping to read his expression for the answer to his innocence, but he quickly turned away without further response. Her eyes widened. "It wasn't you, was it?" She asked in alarm, slightly taken aback by his un-willingness to answer the question. "No! Of course not!" She immediately regretted her sharp reaction when she heard the hurt in his voice. "But then, who do you think…?"

Still no answer. She gazed at him questioningly. "Fine! If you really want to know, then I think, no, I _know_ that it was _Klonoa_!" Fury and discomfort blazed in his eyes as he spoke the name. Lolo felt a pain stab her heart. She almost immediately knew that Theo was right.

Her eyes threatened to water again. Somehow, amidst the confusion of being captured, she had almost forgotten about the Dream Traveler and all his lies. She still couldn't believe it… For years she had thought of him as her best friend, but in the end it turned out that she'd been used all along… She recalled Klonoa's reaction after the murder. Yes, it had to have been him. He'd been quick to accuse Theo – almost too quick. A shiver crept down her spine as she remembered the look in his eyes. … – What an evil person he turned out to be!

Lolo felt empty inside – far too hollow to be angry. She'd failed incredibly during the entire mission, and her most trusted friend had turned out to be a deceptive killer. A miserably sigh escaped her mouth.

And now here she was, held captive by the very enemy she had set out to help defeat…probably waiting to be executed in who knows what sort of horrible way. She really was a failure – a failure and a fool! And more than anyone, she'd let herself down.

"Lolo, are you all right?" She looked up in surprise, feeling a reassuring touch on her shoulder. "Huh? Oh…yes…I'm fine." He gave her a look full of concern, but her own mind was still playing over the past.

"Wait!" She suddenly cried out unexpectedly, a realization hitting her as she went over the preceding events. "You knew that it was Klonoa that had killed Marris all along, didn't you? You knew what he was really like right from the beginning – from before you even got on the ferry! That's why you always acted so strangely around him!" Theo gazed at her in surprise. "Why didn't you say something?" She asked accusingly. It took him a moment to answer.

"He…he would have killed us all Lolo! You saw what kind of power he has!" She recalled the strength that Klonoa had demonstrated during their first fight with some of Ussannis' puppets, before Theo had joined the group. Yes, he would have killed them all, and had no problems doing it. But if he knew, then why did Theo? "I don't understand!" She protested. "You still wanted to go on the boat with us when you knew we were traveling with a murderer? And you said you wanted to join the group, but why, if you knew… – what were you trying to do? It has something to do with him, doesn't it?"

He nodded reluctantly, trying to decide how much he should tell her. "I..I was trying to stop him… I still am…"

"_Stop him_! Stop him from what?" A chill crept up Lolo's spine as she realized that she actually didn't know why Klonoa had come on this quest at all – no one would have been able to make him. Was he planning something? – What motive could he possibly have for coming on this miserable journey? It was a terrifying unknown.

Theo remained silent. "Well?" She pressed.

Just as he was about to speak, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall toward them. The two both turned to look just as four more of Ussannis' monsters came into view, the fairy modules again.

The puppets un-bolted the creaky door and held it open a crack, two of them squeezing in through the opening. Lolo and Theo backed up against the wall fearfully, unsure what Ussannis' servants wanted.

Theo found himself instinctively reaching toward his waist – where a belt would be if he were wearing one, but all he felt was his damp fur. Of course! For a moment he had forgotten once again that he had no weapon. Damn! – If he had been with a sword, he probably would have been able to fight off the soul-less creatures quite easily, and then escape through the un-locked door, but…

The two puppets approached slowly toward their captives, un-intelligible hisses forming in their throats. Both of the frightened prisoners watched their attackers' fingernails morph into sharp razors as they reached out for them.

With a different sort of growl, Theo raked his own claws over the face of one of Ussannis' toys. But it was to no avail – the spirit-less monster could feel no pain. The thing lunged forward and gripped both of white creatures' shoulders, holding him in its grasp as he snarled an angry yell.

Lolo turned to flee in a panic, but she didn't get more than a few steps before the second puppet pulled her back with its arms around her stomach. She let out a frightened scream, though knowing full well that no one was there to come to their rescue.

Both of the captives were dragged out of the cell, the creeping hands of the remaining two puppets grasping them as well as they were carried past the door that the monsters had previously been guarding.

Lolo could hardly walk with the hands of those _things_ all over her, but she tried to retain as much dignity as she could – though it was difficult with her face covered in dust and her hair sticking out at all sorts of awkward angles.

Her eyes gazed around at the halls they were traversing through. Mostly, the passage looked like the inside of the cell her and Theo had been held in, but with a few fancy, yet oddly out of place, stained-glass windows placed in the walls – letting in an ethereal sort of light, and giving the place a haunting chill.

Ussannis hadn't built this place. It had been here since Lunatea's ancient times – probably used for rituals, and as a prison for the "un-holy". It had been long since abandoned however, as the older, more barbaric ways began to fade into the pages of history books. Ussannis had merely been quick to snatch the opportunity for such an intimidating base.

Lolo spared a glance back at Theo, he didn't look any better off than her. He stared vacantly ahead as his feet stumbled along with those of his offenders, a miserable look on his downcast face. For a moment, he noticed Lolo looking back at him and lifted his head to return her gaze. But the movement caused him to lose pace, and Lolo cringed as her companion let out a quick gasp and fell flat on his face – being lugged along the floor by the puppets before being painfully yanked up by his arms.

Lolo looked away, feeling bad. She kept her eyes to herself and her surroundings for the rest of the desolate walk.

The intricate, wooden door they eventually came to towered above the group at the height of about a small building. Lolo's heart beat a mile a minute as she gazed up at the daunting structure, the monsters having stopped moving.

One of the creatures that had been keeping hold on Theo suddenly let go carefully, walking up to the door. Using its un-natural strength, it slowly pushed both sides of the tall, creaky entrance open easily. It then walked back to Theo, and they took their captives forward.

Lolo felt like she was walking to the guillotine as she was marched through the shadowy opening. Her heart was cold and heavy, but she had no choice but to go on. _Will I ever walk back through these doors again? Or will this dark room be the last place I'll ever set foot in? _She wondered desolately.

The passage eventually led to a single large room, with delicate glass designs on both the floor and the ceiling, aside from just the windows on the wall. The space was shaped like a circle, and on the end directly in front of her, Lolo caught site of a cloaked silhouette sitting in a large, stone chair – a relic that was covered in detailed engravings.

Though the figures' identity could not be made out in the darkness, she knew who it was instantly.

After a few silent moments, the strange creature stepped down from his resting place and walked slowly up to his prisoners. Despite the covering, Lolo could now see that the person approaching her looked somewhat like a large coyote, but with a slightly more human-looking face. He had gold markings winding their way throughout his body, adding contrast to his long, gray fur. Especially odd designs covered his face, almost making it seem as if he was wearing some sort of glasses or a mask. And a large, deep blue stone was set into a pendent around his neck. He looked to be about middle-aged, but in reality, he didn't appear all that threatening – despite the nasty sneer on his face.

"Ussannis!" Theo spat in anger, trying to wriggle free from the monsters' grasp. The magician looked over his captives and stepped back a moment, giving them one last discerning gaze. Lolo startled as sudden, un-expected laughter split the silence in the hall. The laugh was casual, but had a strange, self-pitying tone to it. The two prisoners stared at their enemy in surprise.

Ussannis put a hand to his forehead in frustration, bending over exhaustedly and over-dramatically. "Worth-less things they are…" With a snap of his fingers, the magician sent his soul-less slaves to oblivion – their un-natural forms dissipating as they vanished without so much as a flinch. "Well, so much for all my hard work…a waste of energy indeed."

Free from the puppets, Theo charged forward instantly – claws un-seethed. Ussannis expected as much. With a defensive raise of a hand, the opposing white creature found himself crashing head-long into a solid barrier created by the magician's magic. Theo fell backwards with a thud.

"Nice try kid. Surely you didn't think I'd be that much of a push-over, now, did you?" The magician shook his head as he took a few steps closer again. "So, you two are all my puppets captured, huh? Pity. I put so much of what's left of my strength into those modules, but what good did it do me? They couldn't even accomplish one simple little task."

"And what might that have been?" Asked Lolo, speaking up for the first time. She tried her best to sound calm.

Ussannis smiled. "The Dream Traveler. That's who they were after. They were supposed to bring him to me so I could force him to help me with my gem." He put his hand over the dark, azure stone that rested on his chest. "There is a limit to my powers, you see? But, if I could harness this stone properly, I could be _invincible_. The catch is that I can't use it alone – I need _him_ to awaken it for me!" The magician hung his head slightly. "But now what? I used up most of what remains of my magic to create those damn puppets, and I still don't have the Dream Traveler in my control – hence my sapphire is still useless to me. I'm in a bit of a dilemma now, aren't I?" He ended his rant in a sigh.

"What? …But…it doesn't even work like that!" Theo spat out. "You will never be able to control the stone! Even if he was to awaken it for you, you still wouldn't be able to harness its power – only he could! The magic of the Dark Sapphire will only respond to the Dream Traveler alone!"

"Nonsense. I'm quite skilled. I'm sure that I could work my spell over it. I have just as much magic left as what he has ever had." Ussannis voiced was unfazed.

Theo shook his head. "You're wrong! You don't understand! If you have him end its dormant state, it will still be useless to you! _He_ will be able to use it though – and he will – against you! He will take everything you have! …Including you life."

Ussannis just giggled again, in a strange, creepy sort of way. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you sound concerned for me! No need to worry though. I'm a perfectly capable adult, I know what I'm doing just fine." He spoke as if he were talking to a pre-school child.

"No! You don't! Keep it away from him!" Theo insisted desperately. Lolo was deeply confused as she struggled to follow along with their conversation. A 'Dark Sapphire'? Wait! Hadn't the High Priestess and Friedole mentioned something like that a long time ago? She recalled them talking about it, a few days before the trip. That was that magic gem that only Klonoa could use, wasn't it?

A sinking feeling hit Lolo in the stomach. _Klonoa_. No one had been worried about the stone before – for everyone had assumed that he would never use the evil thing. But they had been wrong…hadn't they? Klonoa was not who he had appeared to be. Power – that must be what he was after! That was his motive! Theo _was_ right, she realized – Klonoa was after the sapphire!

"Now, now. Don't fret, I'm sure I will find a way to take advantage of the stone – I just need to have him…start it for me." Ussannis still sounded as collected as ever.

"You just don't get it! The sapphire will work only for him – he'll gladly let you lead him right too it! – It's what he's wanted all along! And if he does get hold of it, he'll kill us all!" Theo cried out despairingly.

Now Ussannis looked slightly annoyed, his face wrinkling in an ugly fashion. "You're quite the imaginative little liar, aren't you? But now I've had enough of this!" He snapped his fingers again, and this time another four puppet-guards came running to the doorway. "I'll have you kept here with me as hostages, I can use you to make sure the Dream Traveler co-operates when he and the others get here. For I'm well aware that they're on their way – I have scouts all up the mountainside. They must think pretty well of themselves – being able to walk right up, practically to my front door, without encountering any resistance what so ever. Little do they know what awaits them inside!" The deranged magician chuckled wickedly to himself.

At his order, the puppet-guards took hold of Lolo and Theo and dragged the struggling captives down a small passage that began at the other end of the room, obscured behind Ussannis' stone chair. They had been walking only a few feet before they dead-ended at a tiny cell, barely big enough for the both of them to fit in.

Of course, the life-less monsters took no notice of this, and the two were roughly shoved inside the small space. Ussannis puppets bolted the latch, but stayed nearby to the door – as if awaiting some order from Ussannis – the tip of his cloaked head still barely visible over the back of his chair.

They were caged once more.

**Part Two – Darkness Awakened**

Theo's mind whirled in a mixture of panic and depression – he had failed to convince Ussannis.

_Did I react in the right way? _He questioned himself. _Perhaps I should have told him about my ability to awaken the sapphire, and then lie to him and say that I would help him use it if he gave it to me… But…he wouldn't have believed me, would he? And if I had tried to explain how it's possible, both he and Lolo would have assumed that I was lying anyway. …Aside from that, I'm sure he would never have trusted me if I told him I'd work with him either – I mean, what motives would I have?_

Both him and Lolo sat quietly, lost in thought. Not that they had much choice – the roof was only about a foot over their heads – they wouldn't have been able to stand up completely even if they had wanted to. They also were awkwardly close together – for the cell they were in now was hardly bigger than the cage they had been carried in before. The tiny room quickly grew uncomfortably hot as well, warmed by their breath and body heat, but Lolo ignored all this as she pondered further over the conversation that had just taken place.

They were sure in a bad situation, weren't they? They were to be used as a ransom to make sure Klonoa obeyed Ussannis' orders – but he didn't _care_ about what happened to them – Ussannis' threats wouldn't stop him! She could only pray that the magicians' demands for their safety didn't differ from the Dream Traveler's convenience – for what would Ussannis have done with them then?

A small sting echoed in her heart. Despite it all, she couldn't quite suppress the small hope that perhaps it hadn't _all_ been an act. That maybe, somewhere deep down, Klonoa really did care a bit for her. After all, they had been through so much – would he really let Ussannis kill her?

She felt a tear run down her face. Even through her anger, some of her old feelings for him still lingered, as hard as she had tried to push them away. Her mind just couldn't comprehend it all!

Her thoughts returned to what Theo had said. Was Klonoa really planning to dispose of them all after himself he got a hold of the stone? If that was true, then there was obviously no hope of him caring a thing about her. She was just being foolish…

Nevertheless, some part of her still couldn't picture him as a murderer – even though her logic knew she might well end up dieing at his hand. What a pitiful creature she was…

Any strength she had left was suddenly gone, and once again, she felt her distress and pain coming out as raged sobs.

Theo struggled to turn toward her in the crowded space. "Lolo, are you all right?" He asked stupidly, knowing that neither one of them were really 'all right'. "Yes…I'm fine." Lolo tried to wipe her tears away. "But…is he _really_ that much of a killer Theo?" The white creature winced, realizing exactly who she was talking about. And yet he had no idea how to answer. In the end, he wound up just gazing at her sympathetically.

"How did you know?" Lolo looked back at Theo, straight in the eyes – pulling him again out of his thoughts. "How did you know what he had planned?"

"…" Theo's voice trailed off, the courage and resolve he had had earlier gone. He found himself just staring at the ground silently. "Tell me!" She demanded in a surprisingly harsh voice. Theo wasn't sure he'd ever heard her sound like that before.

He _should_ tell her, he knew that – for with the odds so terrible this might be his only chance. But…how could he? If he did try to explain, she wouldn't believe him anyway – she'd only get angry, and think that he was also trying to hurt her…

Instead Theo just shook his head, as if to dismiss the subject. "They'll be time to explain all that later, but it's nothing major – you don't need to worry about it." He said passively. "Right now we need to get out of here somehow while we still can, or there wont be a later."

Lolo sighed, realizing that he was right. "You promise you'll tell me then?" _If we even survive much longer… _She added silently to herself, but kept those words out of her question. "I promise. But Lolo, do you think there's anyway you could undo this latch?" "What?" She stared at him in confusion. The lock couldn't be reached from the inside of the cell, and aside from that, it could only be opened with a key.

"Do you know any sort of…skill that could help us?" She hung her head solemnly as she realized what he was asking. "I don't think I…I mean, I studied something like that, but…" "Why don't you just give it a try – after all, we have nothing to lose…" Theo prompted gently. "I…I…can't. I've been failing this whole trip, why would things be any different now…" She turned away, feeling humiliated, and even a bit guilty, for her own incompetence. "Lolo…just stop worrying about what all the others have said. They don't know what they're talking about! You've studied and practiced hard – I'm positive that you can do it!" He smiled encouragingly.

She still didn't understand Theo, or the things he said. He still talked like he was an old friend…

"…All right… I guess I could give it a shot. I mean, I can't make things any worse, can I?"

There wasn't much room, but Lolo shuffled into the corner as best she could. She held out her left hand toward the lock of the door, and put her right on the place where she could feel her heart beat, and closed her eyes. She consciously blocked out any noise that flittered into her ears, though that wasn't hard since the area was pretty much silent except for the rhythm of Theo's breathing. She also let the feel of the grimy cage and its musty scent fade from her consciousness just as she was taught – for only when her mind was completely cut of from her physical senses could she feel the strange sort of magic within her. She let the image form in her head of what she wanted most – a way for them to escape.

A pleasant, warm sensation spread through her body as she focused, the words she was taught at last coming back to her. The odd combinations of letters and sounds she spoke flowed out of her mouth without conscious effort – the Verse of Will, it was almost like a song! And she loved it all!

Theo watched wide-eyed. Not understanding a word that she was saying. A halo of light formed an aura around her shaking, outward hand, and he could see another glow pulsating from her chest – the light piercing through the fingers she held near her heart. He was a bit surprised, all this for what was actually relatively simple skill in comparison to what the higher level Priestesses could do.

He still couldn't picture himself ever being able to manage anything like that. Even when he had once had the ability, he had been afraid of the power he had inside. A hollow feeling nagged at him from within. _He_ was the failure, not her. Would he even be able to do what he had in mind?

Theo jumped out of his reminiscence as Lolo let out a sudden gasp. At the same moment, a blaze of white fire burned from a place in front of the cage. Theo covered his eyes with his arm, shielding them from the bright blaze. He heard the sound of motion, and a slight shriek from the puppets, but it was cut short.

When he opened his eyes again, the soul-less creatures were gone, and the door was hanging open on its hinges. It had worked.

Lolo sighed wearily, her eyes still closed as she began to collapse over forward in exhaustion. He caught her by her shoulders, holding her up tightly. It was only a few moments before she lifted her head to look at him. "You did it Lolo!" Theo cried excitedly, before quickly lowering his voice, casting a weary glance back at the tip of Ussannis head. Surprising really that the magician hadn't seemed to notice any of this. "The door is open, and the puppets are gone too!"

She sat up straight and looked toward the open exit, as if not quite able to believe it herself.

"Come on!" Theo beckoned quietly, already climbing out of the cell. After a few blinks, Lolo quickly followed – feeling quite pleased with herself for once. She stopped for a moment to stretch when she emerged – it felt so good to be able to stand again!

They both treaded softly toward the end of the passage, until they got nearer to Ussannis. They both stared cautiously at the back of his un-moving head, still wondering why he hadn't noticed all the noise. The sound of snoring could be heard from just up ahead, Lolo couldn't help a smile.

"He's asleep!" She kept her voice down, but it was hard not to laugh. "At a time like this? What an idiot!" Theo found amusement in it as well – the magician had to be quite over-confident to take a nap while waiting for the invaders. And quite a heavy sleeper he seemed to be as well!

"Are we gonna sneak past him?" Lolo inquired, having no ideas herself. "But where do we go from there?"

"We have to get the sapphire." Theo said simply. "What?" Lolo passed him a glance. "But how are we going to do that? He has it around his neck!"

Theo thought for a moment. "Well, if he slept through us escaping, then he must be in a pretty deep sleep. Maybe we could just take it!" Lolo looked at him like he was crazy, but Theo was already tiptoeing forward. "Theo, no!" Lolo called out quietly. "If he wakes up we'll be locked right back up again!" He passed her a glance. "But we have to get it before _he_ does, otherwise they'll be no stopping him!" Lolo wondered how they would keep Klonoa from simply taking it from them – was Theo planning on destroying the jewel? She decided that now was not the time to discuss it, however, for Theo was now only a couple feet away from Ussannis' sleeping form.

He took a quick, nervous look back at her. She shook her head desperately, but he only gulped before reaching out his right arm. He slowly and carefully grasped his fingers around the chain resting on Ussannis' shoulders, trying to touch the magician's skin the least possible. He began to gently lift the necklace up over their enemy's head.

A shriek echoed through the halls, much louder than the cry the other puppets had given when Lolo destroyed them – for the long network of halls amplified it into an eerie wail, causing them both to jump. Ussannis' eyes burst open with a startle. Theo froze in horror.

"What?" For a moment he stared at Theo incomprehensively, still recovering from the shock of waking up and gazing upon his captive's face. Another yowl resonated through the area. With a jump, the magician directed his attention involuntarily in the direction of the sound. He felt a quick tug at the back of his neck, and felt something frizz up his fur backwards as it was pulled over his head – in his confusion, he realized too late what it was. He turned to see Theo bolting away as fast as he legs would carry him, Ussannis' azure pendant hanging from his right hand.

"Hey! You little - !" He jumped up to pursue the obnoxious little thief, but at that moment another soul-less moan split the air, a bit closer now.

"Shit!" He cursed. He was in a pickle, it seemed. His leverage had just escaped with his all-important gem, and the invaders were apparently rampaging down the halls at that very moment, destroying his monsters as they came. What was he to do? He was pretty much defenseless now – without either his ransom or his stone. For a moment his mind swirled in panic, stiff and frozen.

Theo bolted up to Lolo, who had been watching the whole thing with wide eyes. "Come on, we've gotta hide! We can't let _him_ get a hold of the sapphire!" He snatched up her hand without stopping, pulling her quickly along with him. "But where?" She asked breathlessly, her heart beating just as fast as her feat were pounding on the cold, stone floor. "No matter what we do, Klonoa will find us at some point, wont he? And what about the others? What if he turns on them?"

"He will." Theo answered dryly. "But probably not until he gets his hands on this!" He held up the sapphire proudly, it's shinning dark blue surface set alight by the dim light that was shinning through the colorful glass windows.

Her eyes stretched for a moment, captivated by its hypnotic beauty. "But wont the others wonder why we're running?" She piped up, worry creeping back in. "If they find us first, we'll…I'll have no choice but to explain to them. He'll attack for sure then though, I hope that it doesn't come to that…" Theo panted breathlessly.

Lolo studied her companion through the strands of hair that kept falling over her face and covering her eyes. She looked like a mess now, but she didn't care. "Then what are you trying to do? – Are you going to try to break the stone? Please, explain it to me at least!" She was beginning to get frustrated with his vagueness. He blinked, and turned his face straight ahead, away from her gaze. "No, the sapphire is indestructible, it can't be destroyed. …I'm going to try to awaken the stone myself and get it to 'bond' with me before he can ever get the chance!"

"What? But I always thought that only the Dream Traveler could do that – you said so yourself even! Are you saying now that that's not true?" "No! It is true. But…" He faltered. "But what?" She repeated, pressing him to continue. "…I'll explain later. There's no time for this right now! We need to find somewhere safe for the moment, so I can do this! Believe me, I will be able to!" _That is_, _if I can control what power I do still have within me… _He added silently to himself.

Lolo sighed inwardly despite herself, once again he was right – but once again he had also avoided the subject.

It was about two minutes later when they ducked through the doors of a small room off to the side of the main passage. It wasn't exactly hidden, but it was the best they could do.

Theo walked over in the corner, gazing at the pendent he held in his hands. "Are you really going to try this?" Lolo questioned, leaning against the opposite wall in exhaustion.

She looked toward the exit wearily, terrified at the thought that they might be being followed. Yelling could be heard in the distance, colored in many different voices – including those of Ussannis and Klonoa, as well as her un-suspecting companions. Was it just her though, or did it seem like they were slowly getting closer?

Theo nodded. But was that a bit of fear in his eyes? Lolo watched him curiously as he held out the jewel high in front of him. What was he going to do? Was this a sort of magic? She wondered.

_Oh please let me be able to do this! I know that I have the ability to, and it's the only reason I'm even here now, and yet…I…I don't know if I can… _

Still holding it up, Theo turned the gem around in his hands so that he could see his own image appear in its dark azure depths, as was customary for this ritual. All the same, he didn't particularly like the sight his reflection though – at least, not with _that_ face looking back at him.

The white creature tried desperately to remember what he had been told to do – so much depended on this! He tried to blur out the rest of his vision and focus only on the sapphire, but his hands were shaking. _I need to calm down, otherwise I wont be able to…_

"Theo, is something wrong?" He heard Lolo ask in concern, but he tried to ignore her voice and focus.

He stared straight at the center point of the stone, trying to mentally awaken the deadly fire within it, to summon it to him. But he didn't feel anything, was he even doing it right? – It should have come easy!

He felt a small, strange sensation begin to stir inside of him, tickling his senses. His heart started beating faster, his fear distracting from his will. _No, I need this to happen! I…_

Theo slowly and tensely moved the sapphire down, holding it against his heart. His eyes now closed. He should've felt heat, why was the stone as icy to the touch as usual?

_Come on…! Damn thing! – What's wrong?_

"They're coming Theo, hurry!" He heard Lolo's frightened voice echo on the edge of his mind. He went ahead with the final words. "Stone of the Ages, hear my voice! I, the Incarnate of Dreams, command you to bring forward the darkness you have taken in once to save me – the midnight thoughts in the hearts of all souls, I call that power to me now! Awaken!"

Nothing happened.

Theo looked at the sapphire blankly, a bit upset.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Lolo asked hurriedly, worry in her voice. "I…I don't know…" Theo didn't lift his gaze. "So…it didn't work…" Lolo wasn't sure whether she was surprised or not.

Theo shook his head, a sad, shameful expression in his eyes. "It should have, but…I…" The white creature looked like he was about to cry.

"But Theo! Are you sure that you even have the _potential_ to awaken it at all, I mean, you really _aren't_ the Dream Traveler, after all! Why should it have worked for you?" Lolo spoke quickly, still not understanding quite what Theo was trying to do.

"I know it can work for me – otherwise I wouldn't even be here now! If I can't do this, then I'll have failed everything!" His eyes started to water. "I never could do anything involving magic like this, I still can't! Even now, when it all depends on me, I'm the same failure that I always was!" He hung his head in despair and disappointment, angry with himself.

Lolo looked toward him, taken aback by his sudden loss of confidence. "Theo! Come on, snap out of it! – We have to run!" Lolo cried desperately, the voices getting closer. She reached out a hand, as if to pull him out of his slump.

"No!" He stumbled back, away from her. "Let me try again! I have to do this…and I know I can!"

Lolo started to wonder if Theo was beginning to lose his mind – so dead set on doing something that was probably not even possible…

A scream echoed from Lolo's mouth all around the small room and out through the halls as two sweaty palms grasped her shoulders unexpectedly – the creeping fingers making her skin crawl. "Hehe, didn't even hear me coming, did you?" Ussannis.

"Let me go!" She screamed in rage, kicking wildly. "Ussannis, you –" Theo growled, getting into an offensive stance.

"Stop! Don't you touch her!" The rest of her companions, lead by Friedole, came charging quickly toward the fiend – weapons drawn. Ussannis whirled calmly around to face them. "Uh-uh-uh!" The magician let go of Lolo's left shoulder for only an instant, but the next thing she felt was the sting of cold steel against her neck. Theo and the others stopped dead in their tracks. Eyes open wide with horror.

"You all better cooperate now, or the pretty little girl's head comes off!"

Lolo's face was filled with terror, her whole body shuddering at the words. The blade vibrated delicately and dangerous against her throat as she shook, ready to tear through her neck at any moment. She gazed helplessly at the others, shock and fear in her eyes.

Everyone stood stock-still, unable to do anything but glare with hatred at their enemy, their eyes full of poison. There was nothing else they could do, unless they were willing to sacrifice the young Priestess' life.

Ussannis extended the hand that wasn't holding the knife towards Theo, as if beckoning him to put something into his empty palm.

At first, the white creature instinctively moved the precious sapphire away from the villain's reach, but Ussannis made a face and pressed the sharp edge harder into Lolo's flesh. She let out a terrified scream as she felt it begin to pierce through her skin. A blood drop trickled down her neck, and down into the opening of her dress towards her chest. "Well?" Ussannis smiled innocently, still holding the blade tight.

Horror took the place of logic in Theo's mind, dark yet recent memories flashing by like lightning bolts.

He hastily handed over the gem, having no other choice – he couldn't bear to see his friend suffer such a fate. "Ah, I thought so." The magician grinned.

Theo's eyes watched Lolo worriedly, full of concern and fear for her, but he couldn't help but feel dread pour over him – the gravity of what he'd just set in motion sinking in.

Ussannis turned back to the others, focusing his gaze on Klonoa, who was standing just behind Friedole. "Now that that's over with, Dream Traveler, how about you come and awaken this lovely stone for a sorry magic user?"

"Is that?" Leorina's eyes opened wide, the sky pirate recognizing the priceless treasure immediately.

"Yes, indeed it is. The Dark Sapphire." The magician's expression twisted into a sneer. "A smart girl you are indeed. And you, 'long eared one', you are going to get it to obey me!" Suddenly his gaze turned deadly serious. "And you'd better not try anything funny now, just awaken my sapphire and hand it over… – unless of course you want this little ladies' blood spilled on your hands!" He pulled the terrified Lolo closer to him, his face touching hers in false affection.

A smile played across the Dream Traveler's face for just a short moment. "Oh dear… I guess that means I don't have any choice now, doesn't it?" He sounded anything but dismayed.

"But, Klonoa you can't! –" Friedole's voice called out, as if a bit startled by the Dream Traveler's willingness. "The Dark Sapphire's power must never be channeled by any hands, regardless of whose! It is Lolo's own fault that she was captured… …Her fate cannot be helped…"

Cries of dismay and surprise arouse from his own crowd. Their leader would really leave the Priestess to die?

Lolo felt a cold, dull ache deep within her own soul. Friedole had been right all along – she really was just burden on the group. Just when she had started to understand her skills, she had wound up in her enemy's hands.

She wasn't going to make it out of this, she knew that. Not even Klonoa really cared about her – he would awaken the stone for his own reasons, but then he would betray Ussannis, and what would the magician do then? Not to mention that his demands were impossible, he never would be able to use the gem's magic himself…

Lolo still couldn't place her mind around the fact that her life was to end in this dark, damp place…but it was true, there was no way out for her – just another casualty of conflict. In the overall scheme of things, it was insignificant, she realized. Her death would be no loss to her companions… Was it selfish of her to wish for help?

She felt wetness down her face as a single tear damped her cheek, dripping off to the floor. Her sobs, however, stayed locked inside, in a private place within her heart. She was glad, she wanted to be look brave in the end. Perhaps it was a good thing that she was too afraid to cry…

Klonoa never did answer Friedole, instead he simply walked up and took the sapphire from Ussannis grasp, just like an obedient child.

His eyes lit up with a dangerous glow as he scrutinized the dark blue gem he now held in his hands, hungry for the power it contained. At last – the Dark Sapphire was his!

Now for a bit of fun.

He took a few steps back, getting to a place where there was some room. He also put his ring around his arm like a bracelet, so that it would be out of the way. He didn't need it this time.

For a moment, it looked almost as if Ussannis was going to try and take the stone back, noticing the change in the Dream Traveler's expression. It as worrisome indeed, but…he wouldn't do anything with his companion at risk, would he?

"No! Klonoa, don't!" Friedole yelled, his voice distraught as he made a quick motion forward. But there was no stopping the Dream Traveler now – he finally had what he wanted. What'd he'd been after the whole time. He'd succeeded.

Klonoa lifted up the stone in the same manner Theo had, but with him there was no hesitation.

A small prick of blue light appeared, pulsating from the sapphire's center – the same shade as the color that began to appear in the Dream Traveler's eyes. The glow increased as he lowered it down, holding it against himself. He closed his eyes as he began to speak – the same words that had failed Theo earlier.

The white stranger watched in awe. How could it be that he made it look so simple? Why was it that that evil creature so much more skilled than him? More at home with the natural Dream Traveler powers than he'd ever been?

Flames of every imaginable color sprouted from the gem, curling around the body of its awakener. The fire consumed him as the flames slowly became darker in appearance, forming a cocoon of threatening light, with petals of fire reaching out like a newly opened flower.

No one spoke, no one moved. All completely captivated, and a bit afraid. None where particularly pleased.

All at once, the flames shot up like a pillar, the tips licking the stone ceiling, leaving black scorch marks like scars. Everyone jumped back in fear, holding their hands in front of their faces defensively.

And then…the light dwindled, and faded away, as if nothing had ever happened. The Dream Traveler was left completely unharmed, the azure shade brighter than ever in his eyes, and the Dark Sapphire still in his hands – the blue glow still emanating from within it's heart.

He chuckled slightly, as his expression darkened. "It's mine! The power is mine at last!"

**Part Three – Confessions Of A Killer**

Theo stiffened in dismay, there was nothing they could do now. He had failed his mission…and it was all his own fault. No sword, no nothing. He hadn't even put up a fight. All he could do was watch now. He almost hoped that the monster would send him back first, before he had to witness the rest of the evil that the killer would do…

Ussannis looked slightly taken aback. "But you must give it to me now! …Or have you forgotten?" The magician started to press the blade into Lolo's neck with more pressure again, she braced for the worst.

"Go ahead." Klonoa answered simply, his voice cold. "Huh?" Ussannis blinked in confusion, surprised by the reaction. "I said go ahead. Kill the girl if it pleases you. I don't care."

"Klonoa?" Leorina looked at him strangely. She had never been particularly close to either him or Lolo, but she did know them both well enough to know that they meant a lot to each other. What then, was Klonoa doing?

Lolo still flinched at the words, despite the position that she was in, and the fact that she'd known it was coming. It was just so ironic, like the finale of an old tragedy. How pathetic, to have the person you thought was your best friend to look straight at you in the end, and tell you that your death meant nothing to them.

"Uhh…" Ussannis stuttered, shocked. He back looked over at Lolo, her whole body shaking in his arms, and her eyes dampened with fear. He blinked blankly, almost hesitantly. What good would killing her do – it didn't sound like it'd change his mind. And she was just an innocent girl…

"What a soft-heart you have! You really are a fool, magician." Klonoa continued, in an almost hauntingly harmless voice. "Chasing after an impossible dream! I could never have made the sapphire work for you, even if I had wanted to. It only works in the hands of the Dream Traveler. And I never would have joined with you either, you could never have gotten a captive that I cared enough about …power is the only thing that matters. You see, I'm the smart one. I get what I want. I worked around the forces of nature, instead of ignoring the obvious facts – I'm not that naïve. Though by birth I was denied the ability, I did what I had too, and discovered a way that I could make the Dark Sapphire truly mine!"

The gem started to brighten, pulsing dangerously. Klonoa lifted it up to eye length. "Now how about I give it a try!"

Ussannis let out a startled gasp as he was lifted up into the air, a blue aura surrounding his body. Lolo felt the blade brush against her neck as she began to slip, Ussannis' own hands pulled away from her. With a thud, she all at once found herself again on the cold stone ground, blood dripping from her throat.

"…Put me down, please! I'll…I'll help you! Please!" Ussannis' begged, his whole face pleading with horror. Klonoa's eyes only narrowed "I'm afraid it's much to late for that. Farewell, magician!"

A blinding light illuminated the dark room as Ussannis, still levitated, was hurled backwards at Klonoa's silent command. A splintering sound split the frightened silence, the crowd ducking down as thousands of colorful shards of glass were sent flying throughout the room in a display that could almost be called beautiful.

When they looked up, there was a gaping, jagged hole in on of the stained-glass windows, the tips stained a liquid red. There was no sign of Ussannis.

All eyes turned toward the wreckage, their expressions filled with a mix of terror and amazement.

Lolo put a hand to the place where the sting emanated from her neck, feeling blood dampen her sleeve. …She was still alive. Ussannis had been killed before he could do away with her himself.

It was a strange feeling indeed to be still be living when she had planned to be dead by then, but still she felt no happiness – how long would her reprieve last? She wondered solemnly. Perhaps she was only spared for a worse, much more humiliating fate.

Her head swarmed as she gazed up at the person that she used to consider her friend, a sick feeling in her stomach.

But what had he meant by what he had said before the murder of Ussannis? About not being able to use the stone at birth? But why would that be? – He _was _the Dream Traveler after all. It was all moving so fast…what an inconvenient time for her mind to feel so frozen.

"Wasn't that an amusing display?" Klonoa turned toward the group, them all watching him speak as if in a trance. "…Well, thank you all so much for helping me here, you've made this all quite easy. And a whole lot more fun as well! Especially you, Priestess!" He said, pointing to Lolo. "You proved to be quite a source of entertainment!" She fumed inside, but it was sort of a numb, dry anger. She couldn't bring herself to care about anything anymore, what was there left that mattered?

"But, oh well." The Dream Traveler continued. "As enjoyable as you've all been, I suppose I don't have any further need for you. If I spared you it'd only come back to haunt me in the end…now, wouldn't it? Sorry, but this is it for all you fools!"

He raised up the sapphire again, a deadly fire glinting in his eyes. He could feel energy swarming into him and his gem as he summoned up the strength he needed for his desired spell – a terminal blast of a spell that would that would destroy all the nuisances at once.

"Raise your weapons! Attack – now!" Friedole cried, snapping out of his shock with urgency.

In a single quick motion, Klonoa whipped the ring off of his wrist and swiped it across the air with his empty hand, creating a sort of shield in front oh him while he prepped his assault – similar to what Ussannis had done before, but charged with azure energy.

The arrows that Aquette had fired from her place near the wall bounced off the supernatural barrier violently, bursting into blue and black flames as they were propelled back at the archer's attacking allies. The fire they carried erupted into explosive plumes as the arrows made contact with the walls and ground. A few yelps of pain could be heard as the group was forced to make a hasty retreat.

"Say your last goodbyes now." The Dream Traveler ordered calmly as the sapphire began to pulse faster and brighter – his attack almost complete. He held out the stone towards his once-companions.

"No!" Friedole yelled in panic, him and his army scattering for the door, but it slammed shut with a bang and clicked closed before they could escape to the safety of the halls.

They all turned back around in surprise as the Dream Traveler let out a sudden, unexpected hiss of dismay from where he stood, the pulsating light ceasing. He toppled to the ground as Theo pummeled into his back – the white stranger having lingered behind in the shadows the whole time, and therefore avoiding Klonoa's frontal shield.

The sapphire fell from the fiend's grasp and rolled slowly across the floor towards the place were Lolo still sat, never having moved during the commotion.

Klonoa lurched back, teeth bared, as Theo struggled to hold him down. "Lolo, grab it!" Theo yelled out desperately.

For a moment she did nothing, still partially in shock. But the piecing wail that escaped Theo's mouth as he was thrown off his foe and knocked hard against the cold, stone wall brought her back to her harsh reality all at once. Lolo instantly swiped up the evil gem, unsure of what to do with it.

She looked around quickly, scrutinizing her surroundings – at the same time aware of Klonoa's cold stare bearing into her from behind as he took a few steps closer.

She thought rapidly, should she toss it out the window perhaps? "Lolo, give it to me!" She barely heard her leaders voice over the noise in her head. "Silence!" Klonoa screeched, creating another shield, this time behind him – blocking him and Lolo off from the rest of the world.

The barrier was a bit weaker without his direct access to the sapphire, but he could still draw from it somewhat, Lolo feeling the gem grow hot in her hands as the shield was formed.

"Give it, girl!" Her once-friend demanded as he yanked the Dream Traveler's traditional sword from his belt, a wave of blue light instantly rushing through it and transforming it into a more crystalline form – creating an appearance that was much more gallant and threatening. She was cornered.

She cast a look back at her friends, all of them watching helplessly from the other side of the cut-off.

Theo lay motionless where he had fallen, a pool of blood forming beneath him.

The Priestess closed her eyes and put a hand on chest again, feeling her lips mouth the words of one of the incantations she had learned long ago, the words coming back to her now in her odd calm.

Suddenly a white light lit up the surface of the barrier, fighting the dark azure magic that lingered there. Klonoa looked back in surprise as his barrier broke, opening up the area behind him. He spun just in time for his saber to crash against that of Leorina. The two stared at each other poisonously.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Leorina spat out, parrying an angry lunge on his part. He only smiled at the question as he jumped back, giving his blade a whirl again. Lolo felt the sapphire grow warm for a second time as streaks of dark fire emanated from his sword, knocking back Friedole, Icarus and a couple others who had come up from behind.

Free from assault for an instant, he once again faced Lolo. "Hand it over, now, or you will be the first to go!" He held out an empty palm with one hand, and with the other held the blade threateningly in front of her, his eyes full of menace.

In one quick moment she made her decision. The Priestess quickly turned toward the broken window and tossed the sapphire defiantly, sending it flying through the air and out through the hole in the glass to the depths below the tall room.

"What? Why you little – !" Klonoa's whole face blazed with anger and surprise as he shoved the sword into her chest, ready to pierce her through – his favorite way of killing.

His other hand slammed her in the stomach as he turned away for a moment, swiping Vioris and Eneste to the side with his blade as they charged him in hopes of saving their companion – the delicate ears that were now his easily picking up the sound of their footsteps.

He was still powerful, even with the sapphire he was bonded to lying covered in snow hundreds of feet below him.

"And now where were we?" He asked mockingly as he moved his weapon back towards Lolo, his face leaned towards hers. His voice was strained and cracked with frustration, and his eyes still blazed cold blue fire.

"Klonoa don't!" Lolo pleaded desperately, not wanting to die at his hand. "I know that you've said you've never cared about me, but after all the things we've been through, and all the time we spent together, you can't just – !"

And, much to her surprise, he pulled his head back, relaxing his blade just ever so

slightly. A wicked sneer formed across his face, completely unsuited to his present form. He laughed.

"You're all such gullible idiots." His eyes darted around, addressing the whole crowd. "You never did figure it out, none of you! And I don't even consider myself that good of actor. Well, let me tell you something, I guess I owe that to you. The person you call 'Klonoa' is dead. I killed him, that night before this journey started… I killed him and I stole his body, his life – his very identity! My name is Gemini, and I did it so that I could have access to the Dark Sapphire and it's magic – so that I could literally become the Dream Traveler. That weakling never even made it to the meeting – your friend's been dead for days, and you never even realized. You never knew that you were aiding his killer. …I almost feel a bit sorry for him."

He smiled teasingly as he spoke the last sentence, relishing in the gasps of terror that rose from all around him. Lolo gazed up at him in horror, completely appalled. It almost felt like her heart stopped beating right then and there, but she could still hear the sound of her raged breathing. In fact, that's all she could hear.

Klonoa was dead? That thought echoed over and over in her mind, as if bouncing of the void that had just opened there. This familiar-looking, yet evil creature in front of her was not the _real_ Klonoa after all!

For a short, sweet moment, she was almost happy. That meant that what _he_ had said before wasn't valid – that the cruel things spoken to her had not been the true Klonoa's words. He hadn't been deceiving her! It had been just a cruel game started by a dark outsider…he really had cared for her…

And yet she'd never even noticed when he'd died. The chaos of emotions running through her head shifted now as guilt washed over her. She had never realized that her friend had been replaced by his own murderer. And she had believed everything that the killer had said. …How could she have ever thought that Klonoa was capable of horrible something like this? She felt what was the beginning of tears start to dampen her face.

Satisfied, the fiend called Gemini turned now towards Aquette, who backed up at his glare. "And I did away with your obnoxious little friend as well." He said simply. "Marris, was it?"

The leopard-girl's eyes widened in terror, a shocked, but helpless fury rising on her face.

Lolo's solemn reverie ended abruptly as she felt the sharp-edge begin to press harder into her again, the murderer turned back towards her. "Now don't cry." He said scornfully, noting her watery eyes. "You'll get a chance to apologize very soon!" And with that he took his free arm and held her down against the wall, knocking the air out of her.

She shrieked as his hand pressed into her chest – the idea of being even touched by a killer's soul in her friends' corpse making her feel sick. She turned away, avoiding looking at his face. Though he was leaning in so close that she could feel the breath from a body that should have been dead falling over her. For a moment, she truly thought that she was going to throw up.

"Lolo!" She heard her voice yelled out in fear, but the sound echoed around the edges of her senses, drowned out by her fury and disgust. She could feel the edge of the sword beginning to pierce her skin, and she heard the whisper as she was told by a familiar voice that she'd be given the exact same death as her friend.

Suddenly, the grip on her relaxed as the murderer let out a screech. She opened her eyes to see him reach back and pull an arrow from his shoulder, gazing back at Aquette – his stolen eyes blazing with rage.

The leopard-girl charged forward with an almost hysterical look on her face, having snatched Eneste's sword before the vixen even realized what had happened. "I'll make you pay for what you did to my Marris!" Aquette cried, having come out of her shock, but still not thinking even close to clearly.

Gemini turned and braced himself, switching hands with the one pressing against Lolo and holding his own saber ready. The frenzied girl would be easy to dispatch.

"Aquette no! Stop! Stay back!" Friedole came running up from behind throwing himself between her and her foe with his own blade.

Distracted, Gemini let go of Lolo completely, doing a quick turn and coming back around with the saber lower than expected, avoiding Friedole's parry as the blade drove straight into his midsection, cutting through his flesh. The group's leader let out a horrible scream as he collapsed and fell to the ground in front of them limply, blood spilling from his stomach as Gemini withdrew his sword.

Aquette screeched at the sight, realizing what she had done as reality returned to her senses.

Lolo watched horrified as the killer committed another murder right in front of her eyes, having scurried to the back wall after he had taken his hand away. She couldn't help but to think of Klonoa as she watched the scene – he had faced a similar fate. She though about how she had felt when she had thought that her life was going to end – when Ussannis had held the knife against her throat, and just moments ago when Klonoa's own killer had held the blade to her chest.

He had said that that was the way he had killed her friend.

She put a hand near the place where the sword had been raised against her. Had Klonoa felt the same feelings and fear that she had?

Memories of their past flooded her mind, and of the times that they had shared – a pain stabbed her in the heart as she imagined the pain he must've felt that night, and how it had all lead to such a miserable end for his life. She recalled her friend's smile – the one that she had seen so many times before…it was so different from the fiendish sneer that was on the same face now. She passed a glance at the place where Theo lay motionless, a new hole opening inside of her – she didn't know whether he was still alive or if the only other person that would talk to her was now dead as well – killed by the same person. She also spared a gaze towards Aquette, tears dripping down her spotted cheeks as she shook Friedole's still shape desperately, the fiend having hurt her twice now.

How could anybody be so cruel?

Lolo's sudden outburst of grief turned to ire, her hands beginning to shake with fury. More words formed on her lips, guided by her rage. Words she had since before long forgotten…

Gemini watched with dark enjoyment as the leopard-girl tried frantically to rouse her leader, knowing full well that he wouldn't be getting up. Only then did he realize that he had let go of Lolo. Oh well, he figured she wouldn't be too hard to get a hold of again.

He turned back to look for her when he suddenly felt a sharp-edge swipe across his side. He jerked and found himself face to face with Leorina once again. "Not so fast now, you have to much innocent blood on your hands for me to let you go without a fight!" The killer grimaced in annoyance. He was ready to attempt to tear the sky pirate through as well when he felt another blow to his back, and glanced back to see Vioris standing behind him, wielding his axe-like weapon.

Gemini back flipped around, still drawing from the distant sapphire as he let the flames streak from his saber, knocking back Vioris and a few others that had come running up with weapons drawn. Leorina stumbled back, still retaining her footing.

The killer screamed in frustration. "Just give it up, all of you! Even without the gem in hand, you stand no chance against me and my magic! I'll have each one of you torn limb from limb!"

"…You bastard!" He instinctively turned towards the shadows, startled by the angry female voice. "You killer! You bastard!" Lolo was standing near the back wall, the darkness illuminated around her by the soft glow emanating from her hands – white light burning on her wrists.

The Verse of Light – an ultimate level enchantment. It was a difficult skill, but she had accomplished it without even thinking about it in her craze.

She charged toward her friend's murderer without warning, holding up her right hand in his direction. She impulsively raised up both of her wrists against Gemini's blade as he swiped it towards her face – the blade never reaching her frail arms as a small shield of her own was created.

Lolo shoved a hand forward to her startled enemy's chest, a wave of light flowing into his body from her palm and causing him to fall back as if he'd been electrocuted, white sparks dancing in his fur.

A bit surprised, Gemini still managed to recover quickly, looking at the Priestess with a mixture of amusement and amazement. "Well, well, that's pretty fancy now isn't it?" He remarked in his usual scornful tone. She barely noticed, rushing him headlong in her rage – sending forth a wave before she even reached him. He jumped it clean over casually, not taken quite so off guard the second time. "I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that!"

Leorina came up from behind, but again he nimbly ducked of to the side, slashing his attacker.

"You think you know my power? You haven't even seen the half of it!" Tired of these games, Gemini closed his eyes, a blue and black glow beginning to radiate from the Dream Traveler's body. Demon-like wings sprouted from his back all at once, causing his attackers to stumble back in surprise. His tail stretched out behind him, and his fangs sharpened, becoming more noticeable. His claws grew out, curling dangerously, and when he opened his eyes Lolo gasped in shock. They had no pupils, just a pure, luminous ice blue.

Everyone gazed at him with horror – and this was without direct contact with the Dark Sapphire! Lolo could hardly believe that it had ever been possible for Klonoa to become such a monster.

Gemini laughed wickedly, launching himself with the saber in one hand and claws

unsheathed in the other. She made the barrier with her wrists again as he came upon her,

but his strength was hard to match – she couldn't hold him off for long.

She dodged and turned as he lunged, catching his assault with her shield as he aimed for her soar neck.

"Lolo, run!" She heard several voices call towards the place where they had entered this desolate room. She spared a quick glance over towards her remaining companions. The door was open. As Gemini used his power to morph, and especially without the sapphire in hand, he had not been able to maintain the curse on the exit.

She broke away from him – so abruptly that her attacker almost toppled over. But then something made her stop. She gazed back at Theo, still lying as motionless as ever. She couldn't leave without him, not after what they had been through earlier together.

Lolo turned back and ran toward the white creature, his once pure fur now stained pink with his own blood. She didn't have time to check his pulse as she bolted back toward the door, hauling him along with difficulty.

She couldn't help but gaze over at Friedole's still form as she retreated, but there was nothing she could do. He was too heavy, and besides, they all knew for sure that he was dead anyway…

Aquette had found neither a pulse nor a heartbeat when she had been trying to wake him, and he clearly wasn't breathing. The body was just a corpse now, she told herself. Even still, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She glanced down at the limp shape she was heaving along now, it's feet dragging on the floor. For all she knew he could be dead too… But somehow, she just couldn't leave him there.

"Lolo, come on!" Eneste called back to her from down the hall with urgency in her voice as the Priestess ran through the exit that led to the place that her and Theo had escaped through earlier. The rest of the group was already far ahead.

She never was quite sure how, but she did eventually manage to catch up, completely out of breath.

"I'll carry him." Leorina called back, the strongest of the remaining members of the group. Her 'career' definitely had some benefits physically. Lolo, the effects of her skill beginning to fade, carefully passed Theo over to her, finally stopping for a moment to take in some air. It was then that she realized something.

"Hey, we're not being followed are we?" She looked back at the halls, they were as silent and empty as always. "It doesn't seem so." Leorina answered simply. "With those wings of his I presume that Gemini flew out through the broken window to look for that sapphire." Lolo shivered, if that was a glimpse of his power without it, what would it be like when he was holding it in right in his hands?

"Still, we best get out of here as fast as possible." Leorina ordered, seeming to have involuntarily become in charge. "All of us entered through a hole in one of the walls down a passage that is pretty much straight ahead – we'll exit there. We need to rest somewhere safe tonight and come up with a different strategy against Gemini – he's a menace to the well-being of all Lunatea." Lolo nodded mindlessly, her thoughts elsewhere.

_Klonoa, I'm sorry..._

* * *

_Well, there you have it. Note that the next chapter should be substantially shorter, consisting largely of the ending I originally had intended for this. I hadn't actually planned to have this upcoming chapter at all, but I think it's probably for the best to add one more in – I think that it would be just too much to add on here. Anyway, please review and tell me how this turned out! _


	7. Chapter Six: A Familiar Stranger

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_All right, here's Chapter Six. At least this installment ends the "each-chapter-increasing-in-length" trend, being substantially shorter than the last two. This one is more of a calm interlude between the last chapter and the next upcoming one, which will have more action again. That's certainly not to say that this one isn't important to the story, though… _

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

It was dark again now, the only light coming from the weak, flickering fire that had been lit for warmth. The sky was completely covered by a thick layer of clouds, giving the night a cold, un-welcoming feel as damp snow-drops chilled the faces and hands of those that dwelled under the ominous, wintry blanket.

Lolo sat pretty much alone.

The only other person nearby wasn't much company. Theo's unconscious form was covered from his toes up to his chin with one of the thickest blankets that had been retrieved from their earlier sleeping place, and a bandage was wrapped around the higher part of his back – the place where he was bleeding the most heavily. A couple of other places on his body were cast as well. Lolo was amazed that just a simple toss could have done that much damage.

Nevertheless, they had indeed found a heartbeat in him after Lolo and Leorina had dragged the white creature out of what was now Gemini's lair. So far, however, he hadn't even stirred – though Lolo could see the jagged rise and fall of his chest as the red glow of the fire washed over him, turning his stained white fur to a shade of orange.

The rest of the group were doing a quick scout around to make sure that no one, or nothing, was lurking between the unforgiving darkness of the woods. They were camping very near the place they had stayed the night before. It was a risky move, but everyone was too exhausted to look for anything better, so unless they found somewhere else during their quick patrol this would be it.

Lolo had originally wanted to go with the rest of the group, but Leorina had told her to stay back at the camp to keep watch over Theo. While it was true that someone needed to make sure he stayed safe, she couldn't help but think that maybe they were just pitying her again – thinking that she needed rest, or perhaps some time to think…

However, in some way that was exactly the opposite of what she wanted – everything hurt less when she was occupied with something else, but now in the somber midnight calm there was nothing to come between her and her tangled emotions.

_Klonoa…_

She wasn't sure what hurt worse: when she had thought that Klonoa himself had betrayed her, or the truth that he had been killed days ago, without her ever knowing. More than anything she felt guilty for ever thinking the things she had.

She should have known that there was no way it could have been her old friend doing the things that Gemini was, and that he'd never deceive her like that. But in the time that she should have been grieving his death, she had been proclaiming her hatred towards him.

Lolo hoped he understood, wherever he was now.

The Priestess felt loneliness creep over her as she wiped her damp eyes. Strangely enough, she wasn't crying, at least not yet. It was as if she didn't even have the strength left for sobs, or that her thoughts were too jumbled to process all at once. In a lot of ways though, the hush was almost more miserable.

Now that she knew the truth – that their friendship had been real, it was harder than ever to think about the fact that she'd never see him again – after the quest was over, she'd return home alone, to no-one. Well, except for Popka of course, but her bond with him was different… She didn't really have anyone else…

Lolo tried desperately to remember the final time she had seen the real Klonoa. The day before the night of the meeting, it must have been. Didn't Gemini say that he'd killed him on his way to the group gathering?

Try as she might though, she couldn't clearly remember the last moments they had shared, at least not entirely – for the event hadn't been anything particularly special at the time. All she could recall was perhaps a smile, and a "See you later!" that had never come to pass. She wished now that she had paid more attention.

With a shake of her head, she took a slow glance toward Theo's unmoving shape, he had been kind to her, but now it was unknown whether he'd even last much longer either.

No! He _had_ to be okay, she didn't know if she could take one more loss – for she had actually grown to like the odd white stranger, despite his secretiveness. Besides, he had promised that he'd finally tell her the truth about how he'd found out about Gemini and his plans. _Did he know all along that it wasn't really Klonoa? – Did he know that he'd been killed? If he did know, he never told me, despite how much I was hurting… _Her thoughts wandered desolately as she continued to stare at the face of her elusive companion, she still couldn't figure out what it was about him that seemed so strange and yet familiar at the same time.

At least his name was cleared, now that Gemini had confessed to the murder of Marris. Lolo's thoughts turned to Aquette. Was she hurting just as much as she was?

Aside from just the pain she faced with the loss of Marris, it was no doubt that the archer felt responsible for the rash action that had led to their leader's death. She had been acting in a bit of a daze since the escape, not talking much – or rather, even less than everyone else.

Lolo wasn't really sure if the other members of the group were angry with her or not. How could they possibly blame her though? She questioned. Who could think clearly in front of their best friend's killer? And not to mention the shock of it all. Lolo had felt the exact same way…

And aside from that, the arrow that the leopard-girl had fired to Gemini's shoulder had probably saved the Priestess' life. Technically, she should be grateful to her – even though the preceding events it had set in motion had led to Friedole's death. Lolo sighed again, was that yet another thing that she needed to feel guilty for?

Friedole himself had acted so differently towards the threat to her own life – when she had been held down by Ussannis with a blade to her neck, he had been going to let her die. But when Aquette put herself in danger, he had been willing to sacrifice everything to protect her – one of his followers. Clearly, Lolo had never proved her worth to her leader.

She was lucky to be alive at all though, she realized, after all that had happened. She had thought for sure that it had been over right from when the magician had first captured her. Ironic, if Ussannis had held true to his word, he would have killed her before she had ever learned about the fate of her friend. She would have died thinking that he had deceived them all.

Lolo startled at the sound of coughing and instinctively turned to look back at Theo again. He choked a bit as he inhaled a deep breath, his eyes opening weakly. She could have run up and hugged him right then. "Theo!" She exclaimed excitedly, coming to kneel next to him. "You're awake!"

"Lolo… What happened, where are we? Where are the others?" He glanced around, confused, his voice more like a tired whisper. "We're at our new camp, the others are out making sure that no one else is around. They should be back soon." She explained.

The white creature tried to sit up a bit, feeling pain shoot up his back as he straightened his muscles. "What happened to – " "Gemini?" Lolo interrupted, not wanting to hear Theo call that monster by her friend's name again. His eyes opened wider. "He told you?" His voice was filled with disbelief. So, he had known, after all.

Lolo nodded. "So you know what happened to…" He started slowly. She nodded again, assuming that he was talking about Klonoa. There was a brief, awkward silence. Theo hung his head and twiddled around with his fingers, a bit uncomfortable.

"Yes. He told us everything." Lolo finally spoke. "He told us about himself, about Klonoa, about Marris, about all of it!" She looked down sadly. "But we still couldn't defeat him… Friedole was killed! …He sacrificed himself to protect Aquette when she tried to avenge Marris. The rest of us escaped, but…" Theo's ears pricked up, startled, as he passed her a look of horror. "Friedole's dead!" She didn't answer, instead wiping her damp cheeks.

They both looked up as the bushes nearby startled to rustle. The faces of their remaining companions materializing out of the bleakness as they made their way back into the camp.

"Oh! Theo!" Eneste cried in surprise as she noticed him staring back at the group. "Ah, good." Leorina approached the place where he and Lolo were sitting, followed by the rest of the group.

She looked him over carefully, scrutinizing his wounds. "How're you feeling?" "Okay." He grimaced. "But my back really hurts…" "I would expect so. I'm surprised that you're even awake yet at all. Well, everything seemed safe enough, and we didn't find anywhere else, so it seems we will indeed be staying here tonight. Just take it easy and get your rest. I presume Lolo's filled you in on the details of what's happened?" "Pretty much." He nodded. "Good." And with that, the sky pirate walked off, taking a seat not too far from the fire.

"She's pretty much the leader now, everyone's been listening to her…" Lolo whispered to her companion. "…What happened to the sapphire?" Theo asked after a moment, somewhat unexpectedly. "…I threw it out the broken window, but I assume _he's_ found it by now… He could still use it somewhat without it even in hand! He…he transformed into this…_beast_, he even grew wings!" Even now, her eyes were lit with terror as she described the day's earlier events.

Theo shook his head in despair. "If only I could have gotten the stone to bond with me first! That was the whole reason I'm here – to prevent him from awakening it. I just can't believe that I failed…"

Lolo passed him a confused look. "I still don't understand, what would make you be able to use it at all? And how did you know about Gemini? You promised you'd tell me now, remember?"

He blinked. "Oh, well I…" "Don't tell me you're going to back out again!" Lolo gave him a stern glare, recognizing the hesitation in his voice. "No! It's just…can I talk to you about this later Lolo? Without anyone else around?" "But why?" She questioned. Just what was the white stranger hiding?

He hung his head, not able to come up with an answer. He would have to explain everything to the whole group at some point, and there was no reason to hide it now. But… The words just wouldn't come out, refusing to form on his tongue. And would anyone believe him, anyway?

Lolo studied her companion, noticing how uncomfortable he looked. "…Alright." She agreed reluctantly, closing her eyes. "But please, tell me then for real! If it involves Klonoa…then I want to know." A bit taken off-guard by the comment, Theo instinctively opened his mouth to speak, but just then Leorina came up to the two once again.

"Lolo, why don't you come over with the others now, the group needs to discuss our plans for tomorrow. Theo, you should stay here by the fire and try to get some extra sleep tonight. We can catch you up with the details later."

"Okay." Lolo nodded to Leorina, taking one last look at the white creature before walking off behind her new leader. She took a seat on one of the logs toward the back of the place where the rest of the other's had gathered, a perfect clearing on the outskirts of their camp.

She noticed for the first time how small the group now seemed, the only other people seated around her were Leorina, Vioris, Icarus, Eneste, and Aquette – who was seated off to the side, not looking at the others at all. All of them had solemn and serious looks on their faces. Their little "quest" had turned much more deadly and epic than the original nine members had ever imagined on that sunny day when they'd been told of their position about a week before the journey began, triumphant, excited smiles lighting their expressions.

A pang hit Lolo's heart as she recalled the grin Klonoa had passed her when her name had been called. She remembered Friedole's words from their dinner on the ferry, Klonoa had been the only reason she had even got the come – he'd secretly talked their leader and the High Priestess into it, yet he'd never even made it to the first meeting himself.

She'd been right that night, when she had been looking out the window, waiting for him to arrive with a sinking feeling in her stomach. That must've been when he was killed… She'd felt it, even then…

Her mind busy with her own thoughts and despair, Lolo hardly even heard Leorina's

words as she announced that they were just going to rest and prepare tomorrow, and invade the ruins where Gemini was hiding again the day after.

"But what are we going to do when we get there?" Vioris' voice inquired dryly. "He's undoubtedly found his precious little gem again by now – he'll be even more powerful this time. And judging by the fact that he's already taken out three of us, I don't think we have much of a chance against him…" "Shouldn't we at least go back for help?" Eneste butted in, obviously not liking the prospect of charging right back into that horrid place.

Leorina gazed at the rest of the upset group thoughtfully. "No. We were chosen as some of the most suiting in Lunatea. And with his powers, even in numbers we could not defeat him by direct assault. I was thinking more along the lines of going with stealth this time…" There was silence.

"Lolo, what was that skill you used earlier today?" Leorina inquired, looking over towards the Priestess. "Huh?" Lolo's head jolted up as she realized that she was being spoken to. "That skill that you used yesterday." Leorina repeated patiently. "Would you be able to use it again?" "Umm…well, maybe. I don't know…I don't know what came over me…" Lolo sputtered, not liking having all eyes on her. "Well, try to remember it again. Along with anything else that could be useful. And I know from my brief experience with your 'profession' that there are many… The 'Verse of Light', I believe that one was. It can be very powerful." Lolo didn't answer.

The rest of the planning proceeded more or less that way. They were going to try to sneak into his base and take Gemini by surprise the day after the next, and tomorrow itself they were to simply try to rest and practice anything they needed to in order to feel ready. If Theo didn't recover enough, he would start back on his way home the day they left for the attack – Leorina wouldn't have him slowing them down. Besides, he had said that he lived in Mira-Mira.

Afterwards, it was time to get some sleep. Lolo slowly walked over and pulled one of the remaining sleeping bags out of the group's main pack. She glanced around the camp, trying to decide where to set up her bed – though somehow she didn't think she'd be getting much rest at all.

Her eyes caught Theo as she looked towards the fire. It looked like he was already asleep. She sighed, it didn't look like he'd be telling her much of anything that night. He did need sleep, but still she was frustrated. Maybe he would explain it to her the next day, though she was beginning to doubt that he'd ever truly share his secrets.

She gazed back at the rest of her companions. A lot of them were already lying down. The rest were chatting by the flames – yet far enough away from Theo so as not to wake him. Towards the left, Eneste was kneeling by Aquette, a hand on her shoulder. They said something back and forth that Lolo couldn't hear, and the vixen leaned forward and stretched her arms forward in an embrace as her friend tried to wipe the tears off of her eyes. At least the leopard-girl still had somebody.

Feeling more alone than ever, Lolo eventually settled down to sleep near the edge of the clearing. She plopped down exhaustedly into the warm covers, grateful to have something to shield her from the snow. Yet she was wide-awake, and the lump in her throat was stubborn – throughout the whole day it had never gone away, and it certainly wasn't now.

As she lay with her back facing the others, she was aware at the edge of her consciousness of the rhythm of mild footsteps approaching. She shuffled around as she once again heard Leorina's voice recite her name. "Lolo…are you doing okay?" She didn't know how to answer that question, but in the end a dry "Uh-huh" was all that came out.

"I know that you've had a hard day… But please, try to get some sleep tonight. You need it." The sky-pirate stared at the Priestess for a moment longer, as if her distant eyes were trying to measure her well-being. "I know. I'm fine." Lolo finally replied quietly, though it was plainly obvious from her voice that the statement wasn't true.

With that though, Leorina reluctantly turned and walked off, not knowing what else to say to the troubled girl. She wasn't one that was skilled at the art of comforting, even though she did feel deep compassion for her.

Lolo never really did sleep much that night, though on occasion she would doze off for a few short minutes. Every time though, the nightmares were the same: lost friends, familiar faces…voices, tears, screaming…death. Throughout the night the shock began to wear off, and the whole thing began to sink in much deeper. It was at the time just before dawn that all at once the barrier within her finally broke, and at last the sobs came, shattering the still nocturnal silence.

She sat up, a hand covering her downcast eyes as they dampened. She tried to quiet the sound of her weeping, but this time it was no use. She stood up slowly, wiping her cheeks and running off towards the woods again, not wanting to wake anyone with her tears.

The Priestess stopped just outside of the camp, not wanting to go as far as she had before. Though at least here she doubted that anyone would hear her cry. She sat down under the semi-shelter of a particularly full-branched tree, hoping that it would act as an umbrella against the relentless white flakes that rained down on her.

This all reminded her of another time far too recently when she had been weeping alone under the shelter of the firs, but for an entirely different reason. She still felt guilty for the feelings of hate she had harbored – how could she have ever believed those things that Gemini had said?

She let her cries come out raggedly, no longer trying to hold them in. Hadn't it been Klonoa himself that had taught her so long ago that it was okay to cry?

Her thoughts were on the past as she sat in solitude, her sad wails the only sound that flitted around the waning darkness.

"What's wrong?"

She spun around quickly, startled to hear another voice, though she knew who it belonged to immediately. "Theo!"

The wounded creature was standing just a few feet away, leaning up against one of the trees. His left arm was wrapped around his midsection, as if he was trying to support himself. "What are you doing here?" Lolo exclaimed, surprised to see him up at all. "I thought you were asleep!"

"I was…sort of. I kept kind of drifting awake, …my back…it was hard to sleep. Anyway…I heard you get up, so when you didn't come back I thought I'd come make sure that you were alright…" He explained, slightly out of breath.

Lolo smiled in spite of herself. "You've made a habit out of this, haven't you?" She commented, recalling how it was always him that came each time she went off alone to mope. He smiled back.

"But really," She added more seriously, coming up to him, "You shouldn't even be walking yet! – You'd better get back to bed, or you'll open up your wounds again! …I'm fine, really."

"I've heard that before." He remarked simply. She turned around, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes, slightly embarrassed.

This would be a perfect opportunity to ask Theo about how he knew about Gemini again, but…he was obviously in pain, even if he was trying to hide it – the dull sting showing in his eyes. Maybe now was not the time to push him… He had said that he'd tell her later, when they were alone, but really, he needed to be asleep right now, healing… It would be selfish of her to call him on his promise…

She felt the sobs creeping up again, though she tried to push them back. Nevertheless, it seemed her companion noticed. "Hey, are you sure you're okay?" He came up to her on her right side, his own eyes staring directly into hers, even though her head was hanging down.

"Yes. It's just that… I feel so bad… Klonoa…he was dead, and all I could do was think about how much I despised him. I was wrong! It wasn't him that I hated, even though I didn't realize it, but I swore at his name! I fell for everything Gemini said! He played me for a fool, and turned me against my own best friend! I should have been grieving for Klonoa…but instead, I…" She broke off, falling into tears.

Theo gulped, sweat beginning to dampen his fur. "Lolo don't…don't cry, please! I'm sure that he understands." She looked up at her companion, surprised by the comment. "You really think so? For real?" He nodded reassuringly, a warm expression on his face. "Yeah! In fact I'm positive!" She wondered how he could sound so sure, Theo had never even meet him.

"I wish you would have told me what happened to Klonoa earlier…it really hurt, to think that he had betrayed me…" She said quietly, looking away.

"Lolo…I…" Theo stumbled over his words, as if he was uncertain of what to say. "I wanted to, more than anything I wanted to! …I was just afraid…if I'd exposed him, Gemini would've…" Lolo looked at him blankly. "'More than anything', huh?" She repeated dryly.

"It's true!" He insisted. "It hurt me, too! I wanted someone to know! I'm tired of all these secrets! …It's me, Lolo. I'm the _real_ Klonoa!" Tears were running down his face now as well, as he finally lost control of all the emotions he'd been hiding. Lolo didn't say anything, her eyes opening wider as she realized just what it was he was claiming.

"After I was killed, I was sent back…just in a different body." He continued. "I was told to stop Gemini from awakening the Dark Sapphire. I was the only one that could – even though I'm not the Dream Traveler in flesh anymore, the stone would recognize my spirit. I could still harness it myself, and that was the only way to stop him – by getting it first. That was why I'm here again! I couldn't tell anyone who I really was…if Gemini found out he'd destroy me for a second time, along with the whole group…and then there'd be no hope left… And he was too strong to fight! Even before he got the sapphire, he made much better use of the traditional Dream Traveler powers than I ever did…" His word's trailed off for a moment.

"But I failed of course! I had the stone in my hands, but I… I still can't control magic – anything to do with it! Just that stupid ring, that's all I could ever do! …I'm still afraid of what powers I have left… Even then, when I was supposed to fulfill the very role I'm now alive for…I…I still couldn't…" His voice finally stopped, his rant apparently over. He gazed at her hopefully, only able to pray that she'd believe him. But at last, he felt as though a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

Lolo started to back away, facing her companion directly. She stared incomprehensively, completely shocked by his words.

'Theo' raised a hand to his face, trying to wipe away his tears, though they were still coming. Lolo could see that his face was red through his pale fur, and sweat was dripping to the snow below from his shaking palms.

Neither one of them spoke.

"What…?" Lolo's voice was hardly more than a whisper. This time it was him that was silent, though he raised his head to look her in the face again. "Lolo…It's me." He finally repeated after several moments.

"But…but that can't be!" She cried, shaking her head in a mix of confusion and distress. Was someone else masquerading as her friend?

"I know it sounds strange, but, please…it's true." 'Theo' said quietly, looking at her almost pleadingly.

Did she believe him? She didn't know.

In some strange, poetic way, it actually made sense. He had seemed familiar to her right from the first time she'd seen him. Something about his eyes, his smile, the way he moved and talked. And he'd acted like an old friend all along.

It would explain everything. From the way he'd been determined to try to awaken the sapphire and supposedly claim to have the ability, to the way he'd known about Gemini's plans to begin with.

_Sent back? _From the next life? If what he was saying was true, then what would happen to him now. He'd been unsuccessful on his supernatural mission.

She fiddled with her feet, biting her tongue. She still didn't know what to think.

"If you are telling the truth, then what are you going to do? Are you going to be called back again because you can't stop Gemini now?" She said cautiously, not gazing at him directly.

His face brightened, taking the question as a sign that she believed him. "No. As long as I survive this life is mine to keep. I was thinking that I was going to try to get the sapphire to 'bond' with me as well. I don't know what will happen though, if it's tied to two people at once, or if it's even possible…"

"But you can't go back there! You're hurt!" She said, clearly surprised at his response. "I have to!" He insisted. "I wont let Gemini get away with what he did to me! …And all the others… I have to at least try. It's all my fault that he got the stone to begin with…if I'd been more competent… …And besides…" He added hesitantly. "I kind of want my real body back…"

She looked at him strangely. "You can get it back?" He nodded. "Since it was originally mine, I can re-enter it if I can get Gemini out of it. Then I can be the real Dream Traveler again!"

Lolo stopped talking once more. Perhaps his story would also explain the odd plainness of his form. If it was only meant to be temporary, then…

She took a step closer to him, watching his eyes closely as she tried to gauge whether or not it was really the soul of her friend in that strange form. He smiled warmly, the two staring in silence for what seemed like minutes. "Klonoa?"

It was then that something overcame her, and the next thing she knew, the two of them were locked in an embrace – both of their eyes damp as they wept together under the new morning's dawn.

* * *

_I bet a most of you saw that coming a _long_ time ago. Well, now it's officially revealed, Theo is indeed the real Klonoa. In any case, the fic is drawing closer to it's finish, only one, or maybe two chapters (depending on length) and a epilogue remain now. The next chapter (possibly the last full-length) will see things heating up again. Stay tuned, and, as always, reviews are appreciated. _


	8. Chapter Seven: Doubts And Trust

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

_Finally, the seventh chapter is done. Sorry about the delay, I've been having a bit a writer's block recently with this fic. Note that this chapter was originally supposed to have been part of the next, but I split it into two as this part got kind of long, and this fic hadn't seen any update recently either. Plus, I don't know, it just reached a point that felt like it should be the end of the chapter. Despite what I said before though, this chapter is a lot like the last one – dialogue heavy. The 'action' is coming in the next one. This chapter sets the stage for it. _

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

The snow was especially thick that morning, and it was still coming down heavily. Truth be told though, none of the travelers minded – it helped shield them from the prying eyes of Gemini. All of Ussannis' soulless puppets had disappeared with the passing of their master, but they still had to be careful, not knowing what to expect from their new, much more deadly foe.

Nevertheless, however, it was a beautiful sunrise, and the snow covering the mountainside glistened in shades of soft pastel, reflecting the dim but colorful shades of the sky. Lolo found it hard not to stop and stare, almost forgetting about the mission at hand. "C'mon Lolo." A voice prompted gently from behind her. "We shouldn't really stay still for very long, incase you-know-who finds us."

She turned her gaze to find that Theo, …Klonoa…, had hobbled up to her side, still maintaining a slow, but steady pace. At first Leorina had tried to force him to stay behind, but he wouldn't be persuaded. In the end though, she had admitted that the 'original' Dream Traveler would be helpful to have as a part of the group, injured or not. That is, after she had grown to believe him.

It was the morning after 'Theo' had revealed his true identity to Lolo, alone in the pale light of the woods. It had been that day's afternoon that he had announced himself as the 'real' Klonoa in front of the rest of the group. He had been met with mixed reactions, to be sure.

"What would make us believe a story like that?" Vioris had mocked. "You're so important that you of all people got a ticket out of death? Yes, that's quite believable." "Another imposter? That 'Klonoa' must have been a pretty famous guy." Eneste commented after the speech.

It had been Lolo who backed him up. At first Leorina had looked at them like they were crazy…or rather, like Theo was a liar and Lolo was desperate, but in the end, after everyone started to calm down, the sky pirate decided to believe him, at least mostly, for much the same reasons Lolo had.

Still, she had been hesitant to figure him in as a main part of their plan. He had explained to the other's what he had told Lolo before – that he wanted to try again to 'bond' with the sapphire, hoping that if he could as well it would severally weaken Gemini's strength. Leorina didn't want to build the whole mission around him though, considering the fact that he himself seemed skeptical as to his idea's chances of success. And not to mention that most of the other's still didn't trust nor believe him – not like the air pirate herself felt completely positive about his story either.

Lolo started to move forward again, keeping pace with the creature now revealed to be her friend. They were lagging behind. The two of them were the only ones that hadn't been up the narrow mountain path before, seeing as that they had been held hostage at their current destination while the other's had been making their previous ascent.

She looked towards her left as her companion let out a slight groan, placing one of his hands behind him to put pressure on his back, as if in pain. "…Klonoa," she still used the name with slight hesitation, not yet used to associating the name with the unfamiliar figure, "Are you okay? You don't look so good…"

"Shush!" Icarus called back, though his voice was more like a whisper. "Don't talk so much, we don't want anyone to know we're here. We don't know what capabilities he has, or if he has anyway of seeing us or not. …And you may not want to call him that here either, if he still wants to try whatever it is he's going to do. I assume the element of surprise would be helpful."

"Oh, right." Lolo looked down, lowering her voice as the bat turned away.

"…Well, in any case, yeah, I'm okay…" Her companion finally answered with a hushed voice, struggling to stand up straighter. "…Just, a little sore…."

To be honest, Lolo had felt a bit embarrassed after she had first found out about 'Theo's secret'. All those times she'd been crying about him for some reason or another, he'd actually been right there by her side.

At least that saved her having to formally apologize though – he already knew her feelings and regrets quite well, perhaps more than she would have wanted.

"As strange as it seems, I was really only gone for one night. Nothing more than normal! I found you the next day by the ferry, remember?" He had laughed later that morning, after she had realized who he was. "It felt weird though…" He'd continued more seriously. "To hear my name addressed to someone else. …And to be forced to silently watch _him_ take over my identity like that… Every time I looked at him, in my body, I just… …It was creepy! I don't think I can really explain it. It was just a helpless, lonely feeling."

"Hurry up, you two." Leorina, who was leading the group up the steep path, prompted as Lolo started to slow to a stop again, getting lost in her thoughts once more. She nodded, the person now revealed as Klonoa passing her a glance as they both picked up their pace.

The group made quick progress until about an hour later when they branched off of the direction that they had taken a few days before, heading more towards what seemed to be the back of the huge building. None of them knew the exact way they should be heading, seeing as that the area was now new to all of them.

Snow covered this area even more deeply, the cold white layer of ice growing ever thicker as they slowly made their ascension. It was hard to walk through, and Lolo found herself stumbling in the shoe-shaped imprints the people ahead of her had left in the cold powder.

Klonoa had an even harder time. He tripped and fell a few times, jarring his injuries further. She tried to help him keep his balance, letting him lean on her left arm.

He had been hesitant to except the help, but she couldn't have him hurting himself even worse before the fighting even began – she didn't want to loose him again. And aside from that, it wasn't hard to tell that he appreciated it, even if it made him feel a bit awkward for troubling her. She couldn't help a smile, he always had been like that – not wanting to cause problems for anyone. In reality though…she didn't mind at all…

However, after an incident where he tripped and took Lolo down with him, Icarus was sent back by Leorina to assist from his other side.

All the time they walked, the large stone building in the distance loomed closer. She was afraid, she admitted to herself. She didn't know what would happen once they went inside, or whether or not they'd all be coming out again. No one did.

She'd been lucky last time, but would that last?

Klonoa turned to her and smiled, feeling the arm he was leaning on start to shake. "Are you nervous?" He asked quietly, un-ease exposed in his own voice. Lolo looked down, as if ashamed. "Yeah, a little…" Her words were quiet, permitting only him to hear. "I am too…" He confessed. "More than I've ever been before, I think." Certainly that last statement was true, for she had never heard the Klonoa she knew sound the way the person next to her did then.

"I can't defeat Gemini. He already…he…" The white creature shook his head, trying to shake of his memories of a certain night in the woods. "And I failed again the last time too. Heck, I wasn't even conscious for most of the fight! But this time, I… I wont let him get the better of me! And I wont let my own thoughts drag me down either… No matter what happens."

For a moment, their feet stopped moving, their eyes looking out in the distance towards the place they both dreaded arriving to. Lolo's heart felt funny…heavy. Subconsciously, she felt her hand slowly creeping closer to his, but before she could realize what she doing, a tug pulled against her, Icarus dragging her companion onward.

They kept moving.

- - - - - - - - -

Gemini flung open the balcony doors, feeling a refreshing, snowy cold wash over him. He took in a deep breath, feeling a much-needed icy sensation work it's way throughout his insides.

The once-reptilian creature didn't know if he'd ever get used to having a warm-blooded body, especially one with a thick coat of fur. True enough though, that he would be about frozen now if he were still in his old form.

The killer had moved himself into what had once been Ussannis' private room, complete with a wardrobe, a bed, and a roof made of stained-glass. There was also a mirror near the chamber's only exit; one that made him miss his original lizard-like features even more each time he paced by it.

He had to admit that the worthless magician had at least had good taste. The Mira-Miran ruins were a fine place to begin exercising the control he could have over all of Lunatea. He wasn't even sure where to start!

Gemini had taken one of Ussannis' old cloaks as well, eagerly throwing off the clothes that the original inhabitant of his body had dressed it with. …At least he wasn't playing the role of that little wimp anymore.

A distant smile played across his lips as he remembered the face of that girl when she had found out the truth about her friend's fate. It was days like that that made everything worthwhile.

He wondered if he'd be seeing what was left of the broken group again that day, or if they had all ran home crying like the cowards they were. If they did come about once more, he would make sure it was for the last time – and the Priestess girl would be the first to go.

Absentmindedly, his fingers fiddled with the sapphire pendent around his neck. He had flown down and retrieved the chain containing the Dark Sapphire, still in his winged transformation, late the night after that same obnoxious brat had thrown it out the window.

He actually wished that he could stay in that form all the time, not only just for the power, but also for the change in appearance. While still not his first choice, his stolen form did appear at least a bit more intimidating after fully harnessing the strength of the stone.

Regardless though, there was no way from him to remain in that state, it would eventually tire the body out. A pity, for the appearance of a furry child didn't suit him very well, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't help but wonder what it would look like once he reached what would have been his victim's adult years, perhaps he could grow to like it more.

Gemini could see a faint image of his new face staring back at him, reflected by the ice that crusted the tops of the balcony fence. Aside from just the sapphire necklace, what had once been his victim's sword now hung on a belt that Gemini had also taken from the magician's old closet, and the original Dream Traveler's precious ring dangled dimly from a chain around his wrist.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the color of the gem on top of the golden circle, which should have shinned a blue similar to the Dark Sapphire itself, seemed to have become increasingly pale during the last few days. It was almost as if the object was grieving for it's first owner, or didn't like being used for the will of someone like him. Regardless, the ring's performance didn't seem to be effected. …The thought was stupid anyway.

Oh well, regardless of the way he was now stuck looking, at least he got what he had set out for. And what he had used of his new strength the night before had been but a small taste.

As if reacting to his thoughts, the clouds parted for just a moment, and the dimmed sunlight that cut through the gray fog reflected off the azure gem under his hand, causing it to twinkle like an excited eye. It was a coincidence, but it caused the killer a small grin all the same.

- - - - - - - - -

Under the pressure of a strong kick from Leorina, the bricks of the weakened wall gave way with a sharp crack, debris falling onto the exposed stone floor.

After walking for what seemed like hours, the group had arrived at an area behind the massive building, and after a bit of searching, had come across a section of the wall that was already partially shattered. Quite lucky indeed.

"Where are we going to search for Gemini?" Icarus asked as they all gazed into the dimness of the opened ruins. He was the first one to speak for at least an hour.

Leorina shook her head. "I'm afraid that it may not be possible to know, we're just going to have to search for signs of life once we get inside." "But I thought we were going to sneak up to him, how're we to do that if we have to find him first?" Eneste questioned. "Search quietly." The air pirate answered simply.

Distracted, Lolo looked up towards the building's towers, their dark shapes looming ominously in front of the snowy gray sky. "Could he be up in one of those?" She wondered aloud. "Quite possibly." The group's new leader nodded. "More than likely he wouldn't want to linger somewhere too accessible, namely, close to the ground."

The Priestess turned to her side, noticing her white-furred companion staring up at the same towers, his eyes distant. "Is something wrong?" She leaned in closer, asking the question quietly. "Oh…nothing." He answered simply, though he never turned his gaze.

"Do I have to say it again? Lolo, Theo, come on!" Leorina called back. To be honest, the air pirate hadn't been sure what to call the white creature once he had admitted his identity. So far, Lolo seemed to be the only one who had taken to using what was apparently his original name.

Upon hearing, the Priestess turned to look at her leader, startled to see that the group was already entering the dark building. With quick glance back, she took the arm of her companion, who had hardly even looked down, trying to pull him along. She stopped when she felt resistance. While the original Dream Traveler had shuffled slightly, he remained fast to the same spot, his eyes full of un-ease. Apparently, the burst of resolution that he had displayed on the way up had faded upon their arrival.

For a moment, Lolo didn't know what to say – this was the type of thing she'd normally do. "…Come on, let's go get this over with," the Priestess started gently, "We'll be okay as long as we stay together, I know it!" She had to work hard to sound optimistic.

Regardless, Klonoa's gaze still fell. "But Gemini…" He shook his head. "We were pathetic against him before, to him we're just toys… I'm trying to be strong, but…" The Priestess shrugged it off, attempting to force a smile. "But we got out alive, didn't we?" She pointed out, still trying her best to sound cheery. Her companion only sighed. "That time." He said dryly, Lolo able to tell from his tone that he was probably still thinking about his lethal encounter with the killer, in the forests near the cabin. "But that's different!" She said as if reading his thoughts. "You were alone then! This time we're together, and with the rest of the group."

"Same goes for last time, but I still had to be carried out unconscious! And not to mention that Gemini probably has the sapphire back in his hands now, he'll be even more powerful… I'm not ready to die Lolo. I…I guess I already have – I've experienced death before, and it's not as bad as they make you think, but I…" Klonoa sure didn't seem to be in the mood for cheering up though, his voice trembling as he spoke. It almost sounded like he was about to burst into tears. "I don't want to leave yet!"

For a moment, the Priestess was silent, startled by the desperation in those words. She had no idea what to say to his last comment. "But…this time we all know who he is and what he's up to, last time we were here we didn't!" She eventually continued, determined. "And besides, I feel stronger now that I know you're with me… Before I was still upset, I still thought that he was you…" She said the words so quietly that they were almost inaudible. He apparently caught them though, as he suddenly looked up towards her, ears twitching. "Now all my focus is on my mission! We're not being carried inside in a cage this time either." She added, her voice growing more confident. "We'll be fine! Maybe we can even get you back to normal…"

Klonoa looked down again for a moment, before a smile suddenly lit his face. "You're right. And didn't I just say on the way here that I wouldn't let my own thoughts and fears get in the way this time? I'm pathetic…" At the last two words, Lolo opened her mouth again, as if looking for something else comforting to say, but her companion just continued smiling. "Thanks Lolo." He said softly, his voice grateful. The Priestess was aware of her face turning red, momentary feeling it flush.

It was at that moment that the voice of Leorina once again interrupted. "Now, you two! We have to go!" She had decided to give them a few minutes, still trying to be sensitive to the strange situation between her and 'Theo', but now they couldn't wait any longer.

With a last glance towards each other, the Dream Traveler and the Priestess walked straight forward towards the gap in the wall, stopping only momentarily at the edge of the darkness. Lolo could feel her legs shaking, but her steps were still strong even as she felt the walls surround her, the expression on her face stubborn. She wasn't going to let anyone get the better of her, not this time!

- - - - - - - - -

There wasn't much difference between any of the halls, they were all made of stone – gray and dim. Stained-glass windows lined the walls facing outside – their delicate, eerie patterns the only source of light. Lolo couldn't help but wonder if the old ruin had originally been designed that way on purpose, all those thousands of years ago, to keep the prisoners the many cells once held from being able to memorize any sort of path out. The Priestess was beginning to feel a bit lost herself.

They'd been walking pretty much blindly for the last hour at least. They had no way of knowing Gemini's whereabouts, and so far hadn't found any sort of hint as to the direction they should be heading. It wasn't a good feeling to be wandering around aimlessly in the corridors of a killer, to say the least.

The room they had first entered through the hole in the wall had been full of cells and cages, much like the one Klonoa and Lolo had been kept in. It continued for a long ways further, but it wasn't long before they had found a crossroad that branched to what appeared to be one of the main halls in the building.

After that, Leorina had basically kept them on that particular route, ignoring the several smaller paths that sprouted from or crossed it. It wasn't until they reached what was probably the third fork in the hall that a certain white shape parted from where it walked by Lolo in the group, going to stand by the left corridor, a narrow hall without much light.

"He's this way." Klonoa stated, sounding quite sure despite the situation – though he didn't sound much in the mood to discuss his reasons for believing so.

Leorina blinked. "What makes you think that?" She asked, sounding both annoyed at the interruption and slightly curious at the same time. The white creature shuffled uncomfortably. "I can feel the ring." He said with a quiet voice. No one said anything. Klonoa frowned slightly, trying to think of a way to explain. "I've been able to sense it from the beginning, but even more so since the Dark Sapphire was awakened. It's been that way forever though, even before Gemini…" He paused for a second. "…Before he took my body. …So I wouldn't loose it, I suppose. I guess it still calls to me…"

"So let me get this straight, you can actually feel where the ring is? Even as you are now? Are you positive about this?" The air pirate asked the original Dream Traveler after a pause, sounding un-certain. Klonoa just nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah… If he still has the ring with him, he's down this hall somewhere. Probably up in one of those towers we saw from outside. That's what I thought then as well. I'm certain now though – the 'signal' gets stronger as I get closer."

There was brief whispering among the group as to whether or not 'Theo' could be trusted, but in the end Leorina simply nodded in return. "Very well. After all, we have nothing else to go by. This way it is, everyone!" The air pirate announced, gesturing to the left hall.

"You can't actually believe that he's the real 'Klonoa'?" Vioris asked, his voice cynical. "We can't follow him!" Eneste scorned. "I don't trust him for a minute! He's already obviously been trying to lie to us already, he could be working for Gemini for all we know! We don't have a clue who he _truly_ is!"

Lolo found herself about to speak up, but to her surprise someone did it for her. "I believe him." The voice was small but sure. The surprised group turned back to look towards Aquette, who had been walking in silence pretty much the whole time.

"I blamed him for what happened to Marris, but I was wrong… I'm not going to make the same mistake again… If he and Gemini had been planning on disposing of us all along, they would have done it a long time ago…but the whole time Gemini was with us you could see the hatred they had for each other in their eyes." She looked towards 'Theo' timidly, her voice still quiet and shy.

"Gemini would have no reason to specifically plot to destroy us now, he's so powerful I'm sure he doesn't think it makes any difference to him whether we're alive or dead. And don't be stupid – you all saw what he did to him too, he didn't treat him any different in the last confrontation than anyone else." She pointed out, referring to Klonoa, and how badly Gemini had wounded him. "He'll fight when he sees us, I'm sure, but I think an actual plot against us is the last we need to be worried about… He probably has better things to do with his powers right now, besides worry about what he surely sees as our petty lives. I'm sure he's almost just as satisfied with the thought of us running home with tears in our eyes."

There were a few seconds of silence after that, everyone's eyes turned on Aquette, their heads down. It was a moment later that Leorina nodded, her voice determined. "You're right, but we're about to show him that under-estimating us can be a fatal mistake. We wont let him get away with the things he's done…for Friedole and for Marris too." The air pirate looked for a second back at the white creature that Lolo had gone to stand next to again, almost adding something else, but in the end she stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

Aquette however looked like she was about to cry, the loss she'd tried to push back coming to the front of her mind once again. Leorina however pretended not to notice; sometimes maybe it was best to say nothing at all she thought, the girl would have to work through her grief on her own. She only hoped that the archer would be able to hold it together during their fight with her friend's killer this time.

The group's new leader also stole another quick glance behind her, to where Lolo was standing close to the creature that was apparently the 'real' Klonoa. How could she be that lucky?

Lolo could easily have been in the same situation as Aquette, in fact, she _should've_. Did good things like that really just happen? Leorina didn't think the Priestess would ever have a right to think that the world was against her again, not after she had been given back her lost friend. She wondered if the naïve little Priestess even realized the full magnitude of how amazing that was. There were people that would do anything in the world to be with their loved ones again in life.

The sky pirate herself had lost her own family in a fire when she had been very small, she hardly even remembered them. She felt her own cheeks start to dampen, a strange combination of feelings starting to play in her chest, but she quickly pushed them aside – now was not the time to think about such things.

She turned around to the white creature to face him fully, before anyone else could say anything to Aquette, who was still on the verge of sobbing. They had to start moving, a breakdown in the middle of their enemy's fortress simply wouldn't do.

"Show us the way, we'll follow you." Leorina's voice was strong, startling the familiar stranger out of his own thoughts. "What?" He raised his eyes to hers. "Klonoa…you lead us from here. Show us the way to go!" For a moment, he said nothing, but then his eyes brightened, a smile taking over his face. "Okay, then follow me!" His words were enthusiastic, showing off a bit of his old spark as he hurried off boldly in the direction behind him, Lolo close behind.

There was one point when Klonoa held back for just a moment, waiting for Aquette to catch up. "Thank you." He muttered quietly, no one else hearing. "Don't mention it. I'm sorry I blamed you before… I'm sure that if he were here, Marris would believe you as well, he always was like that, he'd put his trust in anyone…but that's probably what killed him in the end…" The white creature hung his head. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault…I do wish that you could have warned us about Gemini before…but I understand why you didn't, I think you were right – in reality he probably _would_ have killed us all…" She kept walking after that, having nothing more to say. After brief hesitation, Klonoa hurried back to the lead of the group, where Lolo and some of the others had stopped to wait for him.

No one complained anymore, a mixture of fear and determination hanging over the group as they ascended the countless stairs that lined the tower the Dream Traveler had lead them to. It was a painfully slow climb, but their hearts beat faster with every step, every one of them realizing what probably awaited them at the top.

* * *

_Okay, well, that's that for now. The stage is pretty much set for the next chapter, which will be the final full-length one. I'll try to get it done fairly soon, but of course school has started again now too. Ugg. _

…_In any case, please review! _


	9. Chapter Eight: Silent Heartbeat

**Disclaimer:** I, as I'm sure you expected, do not in any way own Klonoa or any related characters. The Klonoa series is owned by Namco.

…_It's been _forever_ since I've updated this, hasn't it? And actually, this still isn't the final chapter xD – it just kept growing until I ended up deciding to split it again – this was originally part of it. I've had this half written for quite a while…now I wish I'd just uploaded it back when I finished it, but I didn't initially plan on doing this…I tried to finish the whole last chapter, but already it just got _way_ too long, and was simply too much. However, this chapter is much different from the last one (which was also originally cut from the final) – it's much longer and is definitely very important to the story! Easily just as much as the actual final one will be – it has a certain climax the story's been building up to for a long time. _

_Anyway, enjoy, and I'm really sorry for the huge_ _delay to anyone who's been reading this… _

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

The group came to a halt as the ground leveled, but they didn't have much time to catch their breath from the climb before it caught in their throats once more. Two tall doors stood above them – now un-readable symbols carved into their bluish stone base. More than likely, they'd been sacred words to the ancients that had built the place. The twin doors were quite a daunting sight, not doing anything to quell the fear surging within any of them.

For a moment that seemed to stretch on, each of the remaining warriors – Leorina, Icarus, Aquette, Lolo, Eneste, Vioris, and Klonoa – simply stood staring in an almost expectant silence. It was as if they imagined that at any moment Gemini would slam the doors open, rush forward, and slight each of their throats one by one. But it never happened, and the room remained ominously unassuming and still.

Eventually, Klonoa, still in the simple white body of 'Theo', stepped forward cautiously, standing with the entrance to the room towering directly over him. He stopped and focused, trying to sense the location of his old ring. Yes, he realized as he felt the familiar sensation strong within him – if he still had the ring, Gemini was definitely in there. The original Dream Traveler nodded back at Leorina, who nodded as well in understanding, but he didn't move. It felt strange to him to be standing there, right outside the room where his killer was probably waiting for them. He felt very exposed and vulnerable, knowing that his life could be terminated a second time at any moment if their enemy chose, but yet couldn't bring himself to move his shaking legs.

He only turned his head when he heard footsteps behind him, giving him a start. Lolo and Leorina were approaching, the rest of the group following slowly. "It looks like we're going to have to push the doors open ourselves." Leorina whispered urgently as she gave the stone entrance a closer look. Her voice was so soft that it was almost in-audible. They'd been trying to speak as little as possible, afraid of being heard by someone rather un-pleasant. "But what if Gemini's waiting right on the other side, ready to blast us to pieces as soon as we open the entrance?" Vioris questioned fearfully, a note of disgust also distinguishable in his quiet voice. "If we're lucky he doesn't know we're here yet." The group's leader replied in a hush.

Klonoa seriously doubted that, at first he'd been hopeful of getting the advantage of surprise, but he knew that in reality Gemini was a lot sharper than to let himself be caught of guard – it's what made him such an excellent assassin…that and his cold heart. And besides, they were all standing right outside his door, their feet echoing off the stone floor as they walked. Their hope of silence was but wishful thinking…he'd have to be deaf not to have heard them, and Klonoa himself knew all too well that this wasn't the case – his original body had always come with an acute sense of hearing… He caught himself shivering again.

Leorina put her hands to the door, motioning silently for the others to do the same. There was no reason to put it off any longer, what ever would happen was going to happen, no matter how long they sat around doing nothing. More than likely, the group's leader in reality already realized that they weren't going to surprise their foe, but there were no other alternatives if they wanted a shot at stopping him.

After a brief hesitation, every member of the group had their palms against one of the two doors, ready to push forward. They did nothing for a moment, feeling their hearts flitter ferociously – there would be no turning back once the doors swung.

Leorina gave a sudden nod – the soundless signal. All at once they each gave a hard shove, their hearts jumping as the entrance flew open; the doors slammed against the walls on the inside of the room, sending a resounding boom throughout the tower. The group drew their weapons in a flash, ready to strike!

…Nothing. Just a room with a bed, a wardrobe, and an old mirror off to the side.

For a few seconds, the group stood still, their confused, nervous faces scanning the room for their enemy. It was Lolo who first spotted the silhouette of the all too familiar long-eared figure, shielded from them by a curtain that separated the main room from what she guessed was a balcony.

Sensing her gaze, it turned around as if only just noticing them, parting the thick drapes to step into the room casually. The group, each catching sight of him all at once, lifted their weapons back up to position, instinctively pulling into a fighter's stance. It would actually have looked like quite a sight to any regular on-looker – a crowd of armed, well-trained warriors all shuddering and protecting themselves at what appeared to be the entrance of an innocent child.

Gemini only smiled, the sight of them all flinching at his appearance only caressing his already large ego. "Well, it looks like I have some company after all. And here I was thinking that I was going to get some time to myself tonight." He may not have seemed the most intimidating with Klonoa's body and voice, but sure enough the sapphire pendent was set around his neck, the chain tightened to avoid it easily coming off. He rubbed his hand across it nonchalantly as he gazed out at them with bright golden eyes, the whites haunted by only a tint of blue from the cursed gem. The killer was waiting for them to make the first move.

He was too calm. The group had expected an aggressive rush from him, and his casual attitude and silent confidence disturbed them only further. He stood looking as harmless as ever, a warm smile forced across his face. For a moment, he eerily reminded Lolo of the way Klonoa had always looked, and she once again found it hard to believe that it wasn't her old friend that was staring back at her. She felt a shiver shoot up her spine, quickly catching a gulp in her throat, and forcing out a guilty sliver of doubt that had somehow found its way into her mind.

The pale creature standing next to her, however; apparently Klonoa himself, looked absolutely sickened. He swiped his blade forward, un-able to take it any longer. "This is it Gemini! Just shut up and fight!" Anger tarnished his voice, his fangs bared.

Gemini didn't even flinch. "Hasty, aren't we?" He paused for another moment, a different sort of smile possessing his face. "Very well…then have it your way!" He suddenly shoved his hand forward, palm outstretched.

Startled gasps left the group as they were all thrown backwards, propelled by a gust of blue wind into the now closed doors before they even realized what hit them.

Lolo wheezed, trying to catch her breath as she looked up through a haze, not quite sure what had just happened. But before she had even managed to get back onto her feet, she caught sight of a white shape burst from the group out of the corner of her eye. "Klonoa!" The name formed on her lips, but came out as more of a muffled whisper, her breath still caught in her chest. And besides, it wasn't a name she should speak in front of Klonoa's unknowing imposter - as far as she knew, Gemini still hadn't realized 'Theo's' true identity.

The blade now wielded by the original Dream Traveler, Friedole's old sword, connected with Gemini's with a sharp clang, the edge held by his enemy's parry. They had their swords locked only for a moment, Gemini suddenly flicking his sword in a circle and causing the white creature to stubble backwards, losing his balance.

Klonoa was given no time to recover, barely stepping to the side as the blade that had once belonged to him was flung towards his lower neck, the clumsy dodge causing him to fall onto his rear with a badly timed thud.

"Is that all you have in you? You're even more pathetic than I thought!" The once-reptilian creature mocked, slashing his blade towards his helpless foe's chest. The force sent Klonoa to the floor, the original Dream Traveler finding himself with his own lost sword pinned up against his neck. He closed his eyes, not able to shake the feeling that he was about to be killed by his own reflection…he had failed even more miserably than before. Gemini smiled coldly, golden eyes gleaming in dark amusement. "Say goodnight now!"

"You leave him alone!" The high-pitched yell was enough to distract the killer momentarily, causing him to glance off in Lolo's direction – the girl glaring defiantly back as she took a few brave steps forward. He almost found himself laughing at how childish she sounded.

But the distraction had been enough, surprise registering on his face moments later as his legs were suddenly pushed out from underneath him by his foe, causing him to fall forward onto his face with an embarrassing gasp. He immediately flipped back up with surprising agility, fangs bared. He wasted no time in flinging his sword back towards Klonoa's direction as he stumbled to his feet as well after the kick.

A series of clangs followed as the white creature struggled to block his enemy's furious swipes, finding himself being forced slowly towards the wall – one of Gemini's favorite tricks, it would seem. This time, however, the killer felt a blow connect off to his side, letting out an unexpected screech as Eneste spun her blade around and slashed again, the vixen growling an aggravated curse as he deflected the second thrust and countered. He couldn't block two blows, however, and he winced in pain as he felt another blade pierce through the skin on his side.

Klonoa smiled triumphantly as his enemy jerked painfully away from his sword, still trying to hold Eneste back. His shoulder twisted awkwardly as he retreated, causing the edge of the blade to leave a ragged tear in his flesh as it left his body.

The once-reptilian creature jumped back stiffly, a hand to his side as he shuffled away from his foes. By then, though, the rest of the group had pretty much recovered, and he suddenly found himself faced with many more weapons. "Enough!" He shouted; an edge of pain detectible in his voice. He thrust his palm forward again, sending forth another blast of wind. This time, however, the group was braced for it, but it bought him enough time to draw a shield of blue over himself with his blade; both the ring and the pendent around his neck pulsing brightly.

The whole group came to a pause, as if not sure what they should do next – as far as they knew, there was no way to get past the shield.

Gemini grinned as he watched his foes take a few unsettled steps back, though as much as he tried to hide it, he had obviously lost a lot of blood already from the single, well-timed slash. "You're really not as tough as you like to think you are, are you? It doesn't take much to throw you off." Almost as soon as the killer had spoken those words, a blue flame erupted from beneath his feet; engulfing his whole body in indigo flames and sending a pillar of fire to the ceiling.

The group took edged away instinctively, recognizing what was coming.

Sure enough, when the smoke-less fire waned, a new figure was standing before them, with cold, solid blue eyes, elongated fangs, and demon wings – Gemini had wasted no time to use the sapphire transformation.

Klonoa grimaced in shock, as if wondering what Gemini had done to his body. In the back of her mind, it hit Lolo that this was the first time the original Dream Traveler had actually seen Gemini's transformation with his own eyes – he'd been unconscious during the change before.

A sudden clang sounded as Vioris unexpectedly charged forward, tired of gaping in fear; but the only surface his blade hit was that of their enemy's azure shield. He was propelled backwards violently as indigo fire shot up the metal of his sword, finding himself moments later with his back against the wall once again, blood spilling out from behind him. It had happened so fast that he hardly had time to realize what had just taken place.

Lolo looked back with wide eyes as she watched the sword-wielder struggle in his attempt to get back to his feet, but no one had any time to help him.

Another blaze of fire was suddenly shot through the air while the group was distracted by their wounded companion, grazing Eneste's leg as it whipped by. But they didn't have any chance to regain their balance as another shot followed right after, the members of the group still on their feet almost tripping over each other as they jumped to the side.

The spotted, agile feline, however, regained her footing quickly. Aquette reached back and fired a rapid arrow through the air, hoping to cease Gemini's firing, but instead found herself being the one to scramble backwards as a her arrow was reflected back to her in flames.

"Lolo, can you do anything about that shield? We'll never get anywhere with that in the way!" The words were Klonoa's as he jumped away from yet another blaze of blue flames.

The Priestess backed up slightly, realizing that he was asking her to use her own magic. She took in a few deep, nervous breaths, and then closed her eyes, trying to remember the words once more…

At that moment, Gemini had charged forward, his shield still around him in a sphere, clashing his blade with Leorina's, flipping around to block a swipe from Icarus as well. The whole group surged towards him, including Vioris, who had managed to recover.

Klonoa whipped around behind their foe, carefully prodding the shield with the tip of his sword. But it was no use, no matter at which angle it was they tried to attack, the sphere would flare up. He let out an inward, desperate sigh, watching Gemini flip _his_ ring into _his_ hands as he fired another bolt of blue fire towards Leorina.

He noticed the silver chain the sapphire was hung on, cutting tightly into the killer's neck. If only he could just reach over and grab it! He narrowed his eyes in frustration, feeling fresh hatred for Gemini all over again.

A bright white and blue light suddenly illuminated the dim room, a spark going off and sending him back a few paces. The whole group looked over in surprise, seeing Lolo with her palms pressed against Gemini's shield. White light shown from her wrists and ankles; blazing down her arms as she pressed forward with all her strength. The Verse of Light.

Gemini reached towards her, placing his own hands against hers. The Priestess staggered for a moment, being taken off guard as the shield's strength increased. The two stood facing each other, grimaces on their faces as they matched their magic against each other. Lolo closed her eyes once more in concentration, trying to summon fourth every bit of magic within her, the light on her wrists beginning to shine all the stronger as she continued pushing forward.

Klonoa saw the form of the sphere waver, the fire ebbing before flickering back. He also noticed blood start to seep out of Gemini's wound once more, the once-reptilian creature shutting his eyes in a wince of pain. Klonoa immediately swung his blade back, bringing it forward with all his might towards the blue fire.

The shield shattered like glass, no longer flames, but clear, broken bits. Gemini swung around in shock, just missing a blow to the neck from the original Dream Traveler. He jumped back in surprise, trying to get away from the group that surrounded him. But he staggered; his hands once again over the wound on his side, warm blood staining the fur on his fingers.

He gave his webbed wings a quick flap, the sapphire around his neck pulsating. He squinted his eyes, trying to hide the pain visible in them. "Forget it, I'm done with all of you!" He lifted up into the air slightly, keeping himself afloat with his wings. He turned, making quickly for the balcony.

"No! He's wounded, don't let him get away!" Leorina's voice called out. The group surged after him, Klonoa and Lolo bringing up the front. The white creature swiped out his blade furiously, just missing his enemy's tail as he ran. "Pathetic! The person that slaughtered me so easily can't truly be such a coward!" He cried out bitterly, hardly noticing anything else around him. Gemini spun his head around quickly as if confused by his pursuer's words, both of their eyes meeting for a flickering moment.

Klonoa swiped out vainly once again, almost crying out in fury. He was so focused on his enemy, however, that it came as a surprise to him when his foe suddenly lifted higher and he found himself instead face-to-face with the fence of the balcony.

He frantically tried to stop himself, but his feet slipped out from under him on the balcony's cold, icy floor. He smacked straight into the short fence, the speed of his approach causing him to flip right over it – sending him falling from the tower with scrapped legs and a stifled cry.

"Klonoa!" Lolo screamed without even thinking, seeing her friend fall from the edge. She raced forward in panic, finding herself losing foot-hold as well. She too hit the fence, tripping over the edge into the empty nothingness outside of the balcony, perhaps half-purposely…

The rest of the group came to an abrupt halt, stopping at the edge of the room before they hit the ice. Gemini still hovered just above the fence, looking down to where he'd seen his pursuers disappear into the misty clouds below them.

"Lolo, Klonoa! No!" Leorina cried; her eyes wide with shock. They were high up in what was probably the tallest tower of the ruins – there was no way anyone could survive that fall.

"…Klonoa." Gemini whispered the name on his lips thoughtfully: 'Lolo' was the name of the Priestess girl, but hadn't the name of the creature that had fallen been Theo? 'Klonoa' had been the name of the brat he'd killed – the one who'd originally in-habited what was now his body, and the part he'd had to play for a time too long. For a second, he had thought that the Priestess had once again relapsed into thinking that he was still her old friend when she'd used the name, but it didn't seem to have been addressed to him… And what was that the white thing himself been saying just a few moments ago?

He shrugged inwardly after a pause. Oh well, what did it matter now? The two were probably dead anyway.

Gemini looked back up once more, a strained smile on his face as he flew off, barely dodging an arrow as he ascended. His foes could only watch, un-able to stop him as he left them behind in emptiness and shock. He'd wait until they retreated before returning to the tower – the wound in his side stung, blood still seeping out onto his fur, and his wings ached terribly…he needed to find somewhere to rest up fast! He couldn't fly much longer…

* * *

Leorina walked carefully forward towards the end of the balcony, sliding her feet along ever so delicately to avoid slipping on the ice as her companions had. She put her hands on the edge of the short fence, looking down towards the gaping nothingness below. Through all of the layers of mist, the ground beneath the tower was not even visible. She had hoped desperately to see some sort of ledge or branch, anything that could offer any possibility of survival for the group's two missing members. But she saw nothing.

She swallowed hard, a dull ache tightening in her chest. She was aware in the back of her mind of the others slowly approaching, that is, Aquette, Eneste, Icarus, and the injured Vioris – her only remaining companions – but she didn't bother to look up. The four gathered around her, gazing down with terrified wide-eyes at the same grim view. None of them spoke a word.

"Oh Lolo…Klonoa…" The air pirate finally sighed, muttering the names beneath her breath. Leorina didn't consider herself to be a very emotional person, but the growing lump in her throat was hard to ignore. Too many people had lost their lives in this little escapade. Marris, Friedole, and now it seemed that Lolo and Klonoa were no more as well. The misty void in front of her had swallowed them up. Gone…just like that!

She almost found it hard to believe that the two of them really weren't coming back this time – in some strange way the two of them had always symbolized hope. They'd always somehow come through even the tightest of situations – Klonoa had even come back from death once before! And for them now to be taken away by such a stupid, pointless accident was just too much… She wanted to believe that somehow, someway, they could still be alive…but what 'way' would that be? …There was nothing.

The air pirate closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to look at the looming drop anymore. Out of all of her companions in the group, she'd had the most memories with them, going all the way back to when the Kingdom of Sorrow had first appeared. Even despite the fact that she'd never been particularly close to either of the two.

She'd actually started out as their enemy, but yet it had been after her first meeting with them, and the re-birth of Hyuponia, that her life had started to turn around again. She'd always identified with Lolo too, being a former Priestess herself and having gone through many of the same ordeals as the poor girl. She suddenly wished she'd known them better.

"What are we going to do now?" A dull voice abruptly asked, jolting the group's leader out of her thoughts. She moved her glance towards Vioris, who had been the one who'd spoken. "We go after Gemini, what else?" She answered un-enthusiastically, her eyes once again off into the distance. "But there's only five of us now…and none of us have any magic" Eneste pointed out, her voice glum. "What can we do?" "And how would we even find him?" Vioris questioned further.

This time Leorina only sighed, not bothering to answer. Perhaps it would be best to just give up. To go back across the ferry and have someone else sent to finish what they'd started. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to go back to her small, quaint home on the boarder of the Sea of Tears, between La-lakoosha and Hyuponia. Tat would surely be waiting anxiously for her, eager to get started on finishing their works in the Kingdom of Sorrow. But on the other hand, with Gemini already injured, this might be the best chance anyone would ever have at defeating him.

"I don't know…" She finally replied simply to Eneste's and Vioris' questions, not sounding particularly hopeful. "Well…he flew off that way, right?" Icarus started, pointing. "I don't think he could've gotten too far in that state, we could probably just go off in that direction and see what we can find."

Leorina nodded suddenly, trying to pull herself out of her slump. "Right. It's not very specific, but I guess that's all we can do. Our only other option would be to wait here for him, but it might be better if we're the ones to catch him off guard. And who knows if he's even coming back – he'll probably be on the defensive for a while with that wound."

"So…is that it, then?" Vioris wondered, looking for a confirmation of their plans. "I guess so." Leorina decided, finally turning fully around to face the group of three. "With Gemini wounded, we have an opportunity we can't ignore. Just…be cautious. We don't need any more casualties. If we get in over our heads we may have no choice but to run…in which case we would go back home and fetch more help." The others all nodded in acknowledgement, though Leorina somewhat doubted they'd even be able to escape if they needed to…

"But what about…" Aquette paused mid-sentence, her voice awkward. "…are we…going to search for them?" "Who?" Leorina turned, startled out of her own thoughts once again. "…Klonoa and Lolo." The feline archer clarified after brief hesitation, she didn't like being the first to bring the subject up. Leorina looked down. "No. I'm afraid there wouldn't be any point, there's no way they could still be alive, not after a fall like that… And it's too dangerous a place to go around searching for the dead." Dead. The word stung. It pained her to just leave her two companions down there, at the bottom of that horrible place. But just as when they had been forced to leave Friedole's body, she logically knew that it was a waste of time to deal with corpses. It wouldn't make any difference to them anymore, anyway…

"…But what if they did survive…somehow? What if they're lying down there with broken bones, unable to move or call for help?" Aquette added; her eyes sad. "It wouldn't be right just to leave them there…" Leorina sighed. Apparently it wasn't just her that had a hard time believing that the two could have been finished off by such a haphazard mishap. But she only shook her head. "There's no way…we're too high up. As much as I wish it were otherwise, I'm afraid the simple fact is that another two members of our group are gone…"

No one answered; their heads down. The air pirate forced herself to reclaim a little sparkle in her eye. Though it wasn't easy by any means, she knew that she was the one who had to get her disheartened companions through what they needed to do.

"…It wouldn't be right to just sit here and let Gemini get away, not after everything he's done. They wouldn't want that either – none of them! Come on…for Friedole, for Marris, for Lolo, and for Klonoa…let's head out before we waste anymore time!"

* * *

Lolo felt cold air whip into her face as she fell, the ground not even visible through the thick cloud cover; and yet she knew it was approaching at a rate far too quickly. All the same, she had managed to stay conscious, even though the pull made it feel like her insides were about to fall straight out of her.

"Klonoa!" She called out again, catching sight of a white shape plummeting ahead of her. She closed her eyes once more, reaching out towards him with one hand. Her whole body suddenly lit up with a pulsing, white shimmer, illuminating the dim mist that surrounded them.

Moments later, another bolt of light suddenly pierced its way through the snow, the original Dream Traveler's limp form suddenly sparking in the same shade as Lolo's. All at once, the two's descent started to slow, so suddenly that the Priestess' stomach lurched. Their falls decelerated, becoming more of a float than anything. Lolo couldn't help but smile to herself. It had only been a matter of seconds, but she'd pulled it off.

Klonoa was the first to reach ground, plopping face down into the snow. Lolo came down next to him moments later, landing gracefully on her feet. The glow around both of their bodies immediately ceased. They had dropped safely alongside the ruins, almost directly below the balcony they had fallen from, though the low cloud-cover kept it hidden from sight.

After a quick, nervous glance around at the frost-covered trees that surrounded them, the Priestess leaned down next to her still unconscious friend, his white fur blending in perfectly with the snow. …Except for a little red leaking from his old back wound and a few new scratches on legs. "Klonoa...are you alright?" She prodded his limp form with a gentle hand on his shoulder, trying to rouse him when she got no response. "Come on…wake up."

At last he gave a quiet, in-audible mumble, pressing his face up from the snow with his palms a moment later. He groaned in disdain. "Oh thank goodness – you're alright!" Lolo blurted out quickly, sounding noticeably relieved. "…What…happened?" Her companion asked after a few blinks and a pause, his voice sounding thin and winded. He put a hand to his back, wincing at the pain from his reopened wound.

"You fell from the tower when you running after Gemini. I saved you!" Lolo explained abruptly, and perhaps over excitedly; she sounded like she was about to burst with pride. "…Oh." Klonoa replied simply, still confused and somewhat dazed. "Well, thank you…"

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of my magic!" The Priestess went on brightly, practically skipping around in the snow – the lights still on her wrists and ankles sparked, starting to glow brighter with her enthusiasm. "I only had a matter of seconds but I stopped us both from falling!" Klonoa blinked again. "…That's great, but…what happened to Gemini?" He asked distractedly, still out of breath. Lolo's smile faded immediately.

"I don't know… I think he flew off somewhere…" Her thoughts instantly soared back up to the tower, to where the rest of her companions presumably still were. She could only hope that they were all alright.

Klonoa grunted in frustration, balling his hands into fists and pounding them against the powdered ice. Lolo almost jumped at his reaction, shooting him a strange look. "…Hey, are you okay?" He didn't answer, much to her dismay. She bent over, trying to carefully pull her friend up from where he was, still on his knees. She noticed dampness in his eyes, causing her to jerk back a bit in surprise – he looked almost like he was about to burst into tears.

"…D…don't…there's nothing to cry about! I'm sure we'll find him!" She sputtered, not quite sure what to do. He didn't look well, and he was having a hard time standing up, despite the fact that he'd had a soft landing. She tried pulling him up again, this time getting him to his feet – though it was only to have him let out a sharp shriek and fall back to his knees moments later, a surprised gasp escaping the Priestess' mouth as her friend winced painfully.

Fresh red dribbled onto the snow, Klonoa shivering as more blood stained his fur. He'd obviously been pushing himself even before he had hit the fence and fallen – he wasn't in good shape at all. Nevertheless, he seemed to finally regain a bit of his senses, carefully trying to raise his body up himself. He succeeded in getting up on his feet, in a wobbly, hunched stance. He grabbed his sword as he got up as well; the weapon having fallen right next to him. Lolo reached over again gently, helping him to keep his balance.

Maybe it wasn't the time to go after Gemini. She knew how much the killer's defeat meant to her friend, and to her as well, but more than anything she didn't want to lose him again. "Klonoa, I think it might be best if we just go looking for the others…you're really hurt…you need some rest before we try to find Gemini." "No! …I'm alright. Really." The original Dream Traveler insisted, trying his best to sound convincing. He forced a smile across his face. Lolo, however, only frowned.

"How stupid do you think I am?" "…Huh, wait, I don't…" Klonoa sputtered, taken aback by her reaction. "Don't try to pretend you're perfectly fine! You were hurt even before the fight, and now your wound has completely re-opened – if you were to try and confront him now you know you would only get yourself killed!" _Again._ She almost added the word, but decided that maybe it was best to leave that whole subject alone for the time being.

Her companion looked away, his head down in defeat. "Fine." His voice sounded utterly pathetic. She sighed, for a moment wondering if her response had been too harsh. Determination and a tendency to pretend that everything was alright were traits that had been a part of the Klonoa she knew since back when they had first met. "Look, Gemini suffered some wounds as well – I don't think he'll recover too quickly. Besides, I doubt we could find were he went off to even if we tried."

Klonoa didn't reply at first, taking a glance off into the distance. "But how are we going to find the others either?" Lolo almost flinched at the question. The thought had crossed her mind before, but she hadn't been wanting to think about that, even though they didn't really have a choice. "…I think the best thing would be just to go back to camp… They'll probably show up there later on their own." "I hope that they don't go looking for Gemini without us…" Klonoa wondered thoughtfully. "I hope not – there's only five of them – but there's not really much else we can do except for to go back. I don't think they'll come looking for us – they probably all just assuming that we're dead." As much as it made her cringe to think about it, Lolo admitted to herself that the group probably wouldn't waste time looking for their bodies in such a dangerous area, not when they thought there was nothing they could do for them anyway.

Klonoa nodded absently. "Come on, let's go." Lolo prompted hurriedly, already turning around – the sooner they got out of there, the better. For a moment, however, she was disoriented, unable to tell which way they had first climbed up to the ruins from. They had fallen from one of the taller towers. She strained her mind, trying to remember where that had been relative to where they had first ascended. "I think it was this way…" She mumbled uncertainly, but almost as soon as she said the words, a distant crash resounded from somewhere in the forest, branches and leaves crumbling to the ground with a series of loud cracks.

Klonoa's short, white ears perked up immediately. "Wait, what was that?" Almost before Lolo knew it, he had ripped himself from her helpful arms and was off in a limping sprint, even despite his injuries. The Priestess whipped around. "Klonoa! No, come back!" She had no choice but to take off running after her companion.

With his slow, injured gate, he wasn't hard to catch up with, but by the time she reacted he had already made a clumsy dash through a few yards of trees, into the first part of the forest lining the old temple. He stopped in his tracks at almost the same moment she reached him, but for what seemed like an entirely different reason. Lolo strained her eyes forward, following where her friend's gaze was set. She could have cursed, her heart picking up a sudden rush of speed in her chest.

A familiar, long-eared figure with battered wings was crouched on the ground not far ahead, covered in leaves and panting for breath. Blood was still spilling out of the wound on his side, and he was hunched over as if in pain, one of his shaking hands placed over his gash. Their foe had probably been forced to make a haphazard landing, due to exhaustion from his wound. He didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

Klonoa, unfortunately, was the first to react. "…Gemini!" He lurched forward with his blade raised, but an aghast Lolo managed to grab his arm as he took off, pulling him back. Gemini might have been injured, but so was Klonoa, and they were alone against the powerful killer – the sapphire still glowing an icy blue from where it hung on his neck.

Gemini had looked up at the sound of his name. He didn't make much reaction, but Lolo could see him staring coldly out of the side of his now azure eyes. She could see the grip tighten on his sword as well. He almost looked surprised; he'd probably assumed them dead after their fall. For once, he didn't seem to be in the mood to fight, but it was clear that he was still ready to defend himself if the two were foolish enough to come near him.

Lolo took a few steps backwards, still gripping her friends arm. His footing remained steadfast to the spot, however. "…Klonoa, let's just go – we can't fight him on our own." She whispered, though with Klonoa's ears she wouldn't have been surprised if Gemini could hear them anyway. "No. Now's our chance – he's hurt!" He insisted determinedly, trying to pull away from her. "So are you." The Priestess reminded him sharply, pulling him back with a jerk so that he was face to face with her. "Just the two of us don't stand a chance. Even if he's injured, he still has his magic!"

Klonoa's face fell, looking like he had heard her, though she could see that his eyes were still set on his foe, full of un-disguised hatred. It was almost painful for him to pass up this chance. He nodded, slowly. But just as they were about to turn back, Gemini had to open his mouth. "…Cowards, turning your back on a weakened foe." He muttered under his breathe, just loud enough for them to hear. He raised his eyes, looking directly at Lolo, even though she had her back turned. "Priestess girl, tell all the rest of your companions to stay well away if they know what's good for them – I wont forgive this! If I ever see any of your faces again you will face the same fate as your miserable, dear little friend." Both the Priestess and the original Dream Traveler stopped in their tracks at the mention to Klonoa's former murder.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Gemini tensed, perhaps realizing his mistake, but his pride hadn't let him watch them leave without saying anything. After a brief pause, Lolo just kept walking, knowing that it was best not the let him get to her. But Klonoa didn't move, the whole of his white body shaking. He gritted his teeth, once again tightening the grip on his blade. The Priestess reached out for his hand impulsively, but he pulled away from her, dashing towards his own killer. "That's enough, I won't take this anymore!" "Klonoa, no!" Once again, Lolo found herself running helplessly after her companion.

Their two blades clashed seconds afterwards, Klonoa dashing forward in a rush. Gemini hadn't reacted quite quick enough to get back to a fighter's stance – still half-way up, and supporting himself on one knee. The sapphire around his neck pulsed, brightening as he pushed forward against the original Dream Traveler's sword, giving his stolen, somewhat weak body an increase in physical strength. From purely a muscle standpoint, it was as if he'd never been injured at all.

The killer suddenly shoved his blade forward with a burst of energy, knocking Klonoa down to his back momentarily. This gave Gemini himself time to get all the way back up to his feet, but his foe didn't waste any time in lunging right back at him, though the tumble surely hadn't helped his injuries at all. The two enemies spun and stumbled throughout the small clearing as they clashed and dodged repeatedly in their one on one sword duel, almost as if in some strange, macabre, dance. It wasn't a particularly pretty sight, the blood seeping from both of their wounds painting their fur red.

Lolo watched wide-eyed, keeping shelter next to one of the nearby trees, unsure of what to do now. What had Klonoa done? Even if she was to convince him to run, was Gemini going to follow them now? But even getting her companion to flee was unlikely, he was in a fervor now, and she doubted that anything she could say would take him out of his frenzy. All of his hate for the assassin in the woods had been unsheathed at once, and she didn't think she'd ever seen him so angry. And yet there was no way that she could just abandon him.

Panic slowly contaminated her mind, threatening to overtake her logic. In a way, she understood his point about this being one of the best opportunities they would have against Gemini, the wound caused by Klonoa's lucky strike earlier that day bleeding more than ever. At this rate, it was actually possible that the killer might go down if they could keep him in combat long enough, but with his own wounds, Klonoa surely would too…probably before he ever got a chance to take his body back from his foe.

Lolo suddenly snapped to her senses, rushing forward towards the once-reptilian creature herself. She swiped a nimble hand across his back, sending a burst of energy forward as white light blazed down her arm.

Gemini shrieked, falling over onto his face with a jerk. He flipped to his back with his blade raised just in time to avoid having his opponent's sword cut into his neck. "Klonoa, please, stop!" Lolo burst out, still standing next to the scene as the original Dream Traveler engaged his foe. "If you keep this up you'll die!"

He never raised his eyes. "I already did."

She blinked, surprised by the dullness and indifference in his voice as he answered. What did he mean? Was he even afraid of death anymore?

Gemini suddenly shoved a palm forward, forcing Klonoa back with a beam of blue fire. Lolo stumbled backwards messily, just managing to avoid the blast; for a second she had almost forgotten that she was standing right next to a murderer.

She reached out a hand of her own again as Gemini jumped up, but this time she hadn't caught the killer so off guard with her clumsy attack – her foe side-stepping it easily as he blocked another of his original victim's relentless blows.

Lolo found herself having a hard time concentrating on the fight, her mind swarming. "But…Klonoa,I don't want you to loose you again!" Her companion's strength faltered momentarily, before the presence of his enemy's sword near his face reminded him to keep pressing against it. "The only reason I'm even alive now is to defeat _him_. I'm like a ghost in this world – by all reasoning I'm dead! _His_ death is my sole purpose now. I'm here to fix what my original defeat put in motion, at any cost…even if it means that I don't get to stay."

Lolo said nothing for a moment. A pang hit her in the stomach, sending a chill down her spine at the cold and distant reply. "But what are you saying? Don't you want to live? Don't you want to stay here?" _With me_, she almost added, but she chocked the last two words back. "Don't you care anymore?" She was aware of water starting to drip down her cheeks, tasting salt against her tongue. She hated to get so emotional at a time like this, but the ache in her chest was overtaking her logic, all of the stress from the last few days coming out at once, re-injured.

A few days before, when Klonoa had exposed his identity, it had taken her a while for what he had told her to seep into her head, but she'd been happy. She'd had him back. While they had rested in camp that day, he'd acted like his old self. It had been strange for her to associate the un-familiar white figure with her friend, but for a while she'd been able to pretend that nothing was wrong. He was back – everything was alright again. No harm done. She should've known it was all too good to be true.

"You told me that you could keep this life!"

"_If_ I defeated Gemini." Now she could see tears dampening Klonoa's face as well. "I was sent back to kill him, and for no other reason. If I can come through this alive and take my body back, then I can truly reclaim my life…I can be myself again. But until then all I can do is give all that I have into helping you guys defeat him while I'm still here. I have no other choice!" He paused slightly. "Even if I was to run away, to go back home…this body I'm in now wont last much longer, it's…only meant to be temporary."

Realization suddenly hit Lolo. He wasn't meant to stay forever, not like that. He couldn't. …How much more time did he even have? Was that why he'd been so frantic?

By now Gemini's stolen eyes were stretched wide as well, having picked up on their conversation. For a moment he looked genuinely shocked. "Wait…you mean you're…?"

"Lolo, please, just help me!" Klonoa suddenly broke, crying out almost pleadingly. "There's both of us against him – we still have a chance!" Lolo, with a quick shake of her head to clear her mind, dashed forward, realizing that he was right. Now was not the time to give up and mope. She threw her hand towards where Klonoa and Gemini held each other in a sword lock, successfully zapping her foe with another current of white energy. He flinched, digging his feet into the ground as the holy magic surged through him, but still he managed to hold his ground.

Klonoa did take the opportunity for a well-placed lunge however, Gemini barely managing to tumble out of the way before taking a light hit to his chest. The killer countered by raising an arm to block a second thrust, the blade clanging against an invisible barrier as the sapphire pendent flashed. He didn't seem to be able to re-create his shield yet, but apparently he could still block with temporary barriers.

Another flash preceded, a ring of blue fire suddenly bursting from around Gemini, and sending both Klonoa and Lolo falling back with a screech.

They got to their feet painfully, scalding wounds on their knees and lower legs, but just as they stumbled up, another surge of fire followed. Lolo half dodged, half fell to the side – just managing to avoid getting the tip of her tail singed, but Klonoa had anticipated it enough to be able to jump over, coming down with the edge of his sword pointed towards his foe.

Gemini side-stepped, sending out a stream of fire this time, aimed specifically for his original victim. Klonoa managed to stumble to left of the blue blaze; twisting to the side as the beam of fire arced and homed straight for him, causing it fizzle out as it connected with a nearby tree instead of its target. But he didn't get to stay on his feet long as Gemini sent forward yet another blue blast with his palm, knocking a shaky Klonoa to the ground.

"Creepy little thing." Gemini spoke as he took a few steps forward, slowly advancing on the fallen Dream Traveler. "I don't know why or how you're here, but it's time for you to heading back now. What makes you think you have any more of a chance this time? If I can kill you once, I can kill you again!"

Lolo however, still struggling to steady herself, thought she could detect almost a bit of fear in his voice, or at least apprehension. Perhaps it was just the idea of the whole thing that was making him a bit uneasy.

The former reptile slammed his blade down towards the neck of his enemy, who was still lying exposed on the ground. Klonoa did manage to block it, holding the sword above his head, but all it took was a quick, well-placed swipe from Gemini and the blade swung out of his sweaty hands, landing against a tree several feet away with a dull clang.

Klonoa managed a startled gasp, straining to look behind himself at were it had fallen. He desperately tried in vain to reach for it, trying to struggle to his feet, but just as he started to recover he felt a hard weight slam into his chest, pushing him to the ground once more. He gagged under the pressure as Gemini held him down, squirming helplessly as a single foot pressed against his torso kept him pinned against the powdery ice.

Normally Klonoa would have been able to just throw Gemini off. After all, his enemy was currently in what had been his original body, and was not really any larger or stronger physically than his current form was, even in his transformation, but aside from just the extra strength the sapphire gave his foe, he felt a startlingly sudden surge of weakness throughout the whole of his white body, pain shooting all up his spine. A familiar, deathly darkness appeared and then waned at the edges of his line of vision, threatening to overtake the scene before him. The snow beneath his white form was painted completely red, blood from his wound smeared all around the place where he struggled.

"My, my…you without a sword. …This somehow seems familiar, doesn't it?" Gemini leaned in close to Klonoa's face as he spoke the words, his voice like velvet spite. But the original Dream Traveler wasn't looking, his eyes closed and head turned weakly to the side. The killer frowned briefly, but his expression turned quickly again to a smile as he raised his blade, once again swiping it downwards. The dangerous silver edge was aimed directly to sever his victim's head from his shoulders.

"No!" Gemini didn't react fast enough at the female shriek, yelping as a sudden, unexpected rush of white heat whipped through his body. His legs buckled, sending him crumbling to his side as he was hit with a dart-like concentration of magic. For a few moments he had almost forgotten that Lolo was there.

For a moment, he just lay there still; fighting with a temporary paralysis as the Priestess dashed over. But the effects of the magic didn't last quite as long as Lolo had hoped, for just as she approached the killer bolted to his feet, swinging his sword forward with a slash – straight towards her. "Brat!" He snarled, lips pulled back to reveal Klonoa's sharp fangs – his voice wrought with fury. Lolo swung her body to the right, managing to narrowly dodge the blade of her still slightly disoriented foe.

She thrust her palms forward towards Gemini's back, sending another shockwave through her foe. He let out a cry, shuddering but keeping his ground. Lolo pressed harder in frustration as she kept the energy flowing into him, almost knocking her wincing foe over on strength alone.

The Priestess blinked, suddenly feeling something scrape against her fingers as her foes knees buckled, causing his back to bend as he struggled to stay standing. She gingerly felt through the fur on the back of his neck as she continued to shock him, feeling something rough catch between her fingers. She gasped, sudden realization sweeping through her. The chain.

Gripping it with her glowing palms, she suddenly ceased the magic and yanked with all of her might. Gemini gagged terribly as the chain cut into the front of his neck, leaving him fighting for air. Finally free from the attack, he tried to lurch himself away from her grasp, but the more he pressed forward the more he felt the chain tighten around his throat, choking him. He reached for the pendent with his free hand, pulling it in the opposite direction that she was in desperation to loosen the pressure on his neck. Light-headedness worked its way into his mind as he squirmed, un-able to breath.

Gemini suddenly found himself with his face in the snow, the string of metal having snapped and sent him falling. Lolo stood with the chain in her hands, the Dark Sapphire still dangling from it dangerously…pulsing a dim, dull blue.

"Here, Klonoa! Catch!" She called, remembering the original Dream Traveler's plan to 'bond' with the gem himself. But just as she was about to toss the gem, she held back, a cold jolt suddenly hitting her in the stomach.

Klonoa hadn't gotten up. He was still lying limp in the exact same spot, not moving; his fur tainted a sickening pink.

"…Klonoa!" She repeated, sudden panic rising in her voice as she hurried over to where her friend lay. She passed Gemini, the killer still helplessly gasping for air, his own wounds seeping red. She sent another bolt of energy into him as she ran.

"…Klonoa?" Lolo whispered his name gently, bending down over her fallen companion. She put a gentle hand to his face, slowly lifting his head when he didn't respond. His eyes opened wearily, lending the Priestess a sigh a relief. "Lolo?" He replied, sounding slightly disoriented. Her alarm returned instantly, noticing the weakness in his voice.

She felt Klonoa's muscles tense as he tried to pull his body into a sitting position, only to fall limp against her hand again with a painful moan. His left leg kicked as his whole form jerked, his muscles going into a brief spasm as he struggled.

"Ahhk!" Lolo suddenly shrieked, fumbling herself and Klonoa's limp form to the side as a blade came down nearly right on top of them. She held up her wrist, blocking the attack with a small barrier of her own. Gemini snarled in hatred, thrusting his sword forward once more. She managed to block again, kicking one of her own feet into him in the process, and sending him backwards for only a moment with another light, shock-like attack.

Foolish. Foolish, foolish, foolish! She should have tried to finish the fiend off herself while he had still been fighting for air, or at the very least have taken his blade.

"Klonoa, here, take this. Hurry!" She spoke the words in a rush as she bent down, forcibly placing the gem in the fallen Dream Traveler's weak hands. His terrified eyes were wide, despite the limpness of the rest of body.

Lolo sped off; snatching the sword her companion had dropped a foot or two away. She barely had time to rush back before her foe slammed his blade towards her lone companion, desperate to take back the sapphire. She swung the sword she'd grabbed forward, blocking his lunge with the edge. She sent out a bolt of energy from her palm, dodging a stream of blue fire as her enemy sidestepped her own attack. As before, the once-reptilian creature could use the magic even without the sapphire directly in hand. She leapt to the left as the homing flames turned behind her, coming right back. She escaped the whole of the blaze, but a few strands of hair fizzled as the beam passed by.

Somewhere on the edge of her hearing, she could hear whispering as she sent another of her own attacks forward. Klonoa was trying to use the sapphire himself!

"Stone of the Ages, hear my voice…" Klonoa's eyes were closed as he spoke, not purposely but out of weakness, the words quiet and strained. He didn't fight the strange sensation he felt well up inside of him as he held the stone this time – he didn't have the strength. Heat started to pulse near his heart, where he rested the gem. A speck of light appeared inside the sapphire, separate and different than the glows the stone put out with each of Gemini's attacks. "I, the Incarnate of Dreams, command you to bring forward the darkness you have taken in once to save me – the midnight thoughts in the hearts of all souls…" He hesitated briefly, the magic flowing inside of him feeling foreign and strange, yet at his point he didn't even have the will to feel frightened. He gasped momentarily, trying to find the air to finish. "…I call that power to me now! …Awaken!"

Klonoa and Gemini both shrieked at once, a blinding azure flash rising up from the pendent like a beacon. Flames of all colors blazed around them both, shifting from lighter shades to darker. However, unlike the dazzling display that had appeared when Gemini had first awoken the sapphire himself, these flames just crackled and snapped as if angry…rising and ebbing un-predictably, not only around the two Dream Traveler's, but in the area between them as well – a line of sparking blue light connecting them both. Never before had two people tried to call upon the Dark Sapphire at once; the actual results were unknown.

A slightly singed Lolo stumbled to the side, her eyes stretched wide with a mixture of horror and awe, and her face pale. "Klonoa!" She managed to cry out, terrified for her friend. It was hard to tell what was happening through the chaos of fire and light, but she could guess from the ongoing screams from both her friend and her foe that it wasn't good.

She strained her eyes towards Gemini, his stolen, yet familiar shape nothing more than a silhouette against the bright blaze of the flames. He was hunched over miserably, his whole body shaking and jerking. His fur was on end as the fire crackled around him, azure eyes shut firmly in a grimace. Klonoa wasn't fairing any better, his weak white form curled tightly on the ground in pain as the uncontrollable magic surged through both of them. The stone was a ways in front of him, glowing a strange, sickly pink too bright to look at. He had probably tossed it instinctively after it had gone amuck – its balance completely thrown off when a second person had called upon it. It showed no sign of stopping.

A gulp worked its way into Lolo's throat, the Priestess realizing that if the chaos continued it would surely kill both of the already wounded Dream Travelers…and even if it did, what would happen then? It couldn't handle having them bonded to it at once, and the sapphire was on a rampage of its own.

"No! Klonoa!" She called out again in desperation, her voice not even audible above the sounds of the blaze and the shrieks of the sapphire's awakeners. She considered running to her friend's side, she _wanted_ to, but fear kept her shaking feet anchored to the ground, stiff with anxiety. Something told her there was nothing she could do anyway; she had no control over the sapphire – even with her skills as a Priestess there was no way she could stop it! Terrified tears dribbled down her cheeks, her body begging her to run. Whatever happened was going to happen, and there wasn't a thing she could do!

All of the sudden she noticed movement in the corner of her eye, bringing her back to reality. Gemini's black silhouette shifted as he slowly raised his head, his muscles fighting the burning sensation all through his salvaged form. He smiled; a strange, dark smile – Lolo watching as the flames momentarily spread light across his face. His eyes narrowed, the blue tone that they'd had since his transformation gleaming viciously; an odd, wry certainty coloring his expression. And then he fell. His stolen body dropping to the ground like a stone.

It was over. Like nothing had ever happened. All at once the terrifying lights dimmed, the noise ceasing to silence. The magic reduced to a dim, pink pulse, contained inside of the sapphire.

Lolo couldn't even bring herself to speak as she suddenly raced over to the still shape of her friend. She dropped the sword she'd been carrying, her muscles still jittery and stiff. Klonoa groaned and jerked as she approached, still managing to open his eyes, if barely. "Klonoa!" She cried out in relief as she reached him and bent down again, amazed that he was even still alive at all. "Oh Goddess! Are you alright?"

He didn't answer at first, his weak eyes still filled with terror and shock. There were mild burns all over his body, but not to the extent there would have been had it been normal fire. His fur was on end, his whole form twitching. "…Is Gemini?" Lolo could barely make out the words, Klonoa's voice failing him.

She quickly got to her feet at the question, hesitantly approaching the place where the body had fallen. The familiar shape appeared as nothing more than a black lump in the snow, its singed coat standing out in stark contrast to the blooded snow beneath it.

When she got closer, Lolo could see that the body had come out of the sapphire transformation, appearing as it always had naturally before. She couldn't help a strange gulp as she kneeled over the familiar, unmoving shape. She still thought more of Klonoa than of Gemini when she saw it, she couldn't help it. It was a challenge to remind herself that her old friend was in fact still alive, although maybe not for too much longer if she didn't hurry.

Gingerly, she shifted a foot, prodding the body gently in the cheek. No reaction. She nudged a little harder, pushing the thing over onto its back. It wasn't breathing, blank golden eyes cracked open unseeingly. Gemini's final, wicked smile had faded from the familiar face, fangs protruding slightly from its awkward, limp mouth. It didn't seem like Gemini anymore, not at all.

"…He's…dead." She whispered, mostly to herself, as if it would somehow help the sight before her sink in. She twitched slightly as she reached her hand down, not particularly wanting to touch the dead thing. She knew, though, that there was no way Klonoa was going to be getting up, her thoughts going back to the white creature immediately as she tried to remind herself again about her friend's true condition.

She reached underneath the neck of the still-warm, furred remains tentatively, grimacing slightly as she gathered the scruff between her fingers. She hurried back to the side of her friend's white form, dragging the corpse along through the snow by the tips of her fingers.

"He's dead." She repeated, this time so that Klonoa could hear her. She plopped the body down right beside him, the lifeless flesh hitting the ground with a dull thump. Her companion barely raised his head, even though his eyes widened slightly. "Hurry! All of the wounds will heal if you take it back…right? And then you'll be okay!"

"Can you…turn it around?" Klonoa replied weakly, urgency somehow finding its way into his quiet, strained voice.

Lolo did as he asked, positioning the corpse so that Klonoa was face to face with his old features; his eyes blinking uncomfortably as the familiar ones of the empty shell stared back in a glaze, the expression blank. After a few ragged, nervous breaths, he reached out one of his jittery hands, placing it over the chest of his vacant old body, where the heart lay, once again un-beating. He closed his eyes once again.

His white form disappeared so suddenly that Lolo almost jumped, her own heart suddenly pounding in alarm. He was gone. 'Theo' was no more, not even a trace remaining of the pale shape; it was only the lifeless lump of flesh that still lay silently in the snow. For a moment there was nothing, the other body as still as ever. She somehow managed to swallow, her breath catching in her throat. What if something had gone wrong? …What if he wasn't going to wake up?

Suddenly, as if on cue to her thoughts, there was a brief flash, and the pile of black furred flesh beside her jerked, taking in a sharp gasp. Lolo flinched back again, slightly started. Her eyes quickly worked their way up the shape in front of her. The wounds and burns were gone. The thing put its palms on the ground, trying clumsily to shove itself up as its breathing slowly steadied.

The Priestess forced herself to help, hesitantly reaching out and supporting the head with her shaky right hand. Some part of her was still afraid that it would be Gemini that awoke, after having become so used to forcing herself to recognize the familiar form as the killer, but then after a tense moment golden eyes slowly opened, light returning to them and the glaze slowly disappearing. Lolo was all at once able to tell the difference, the beginning of a shy grin showing on her face. He smiled.

"Klonoa!" She cried happily, yanking the weak figure up and into her arms. He uttered something in reply, but the words were drowned out as Lolo held his head against her chest, squeezing him tightly. He didn't seem to object, still smiling.

"It's you, it's really you! You did it!" The Priestess squealed like an overly excited child. "You're back to normal, and Gemini's dead! I can't believe it! We did it! It's wonderful! It's _really_ wonderful, isn't it?" She questioned gleefully as she slowly relaxed her grip, letting Klonoa finally take in a deep breath. He managed a brief nod, still looking tired and quite worn out. His body itself must've been weary, too, after the battle as Gemini's from.

"You actually did it – you were able to the use the sapphire this time." Lolo pointed out slightly more calmly, even though her own breathing was still coming quickly. "Does that mean that you got used to the magic?" He looked down slightly. "I was so weak, I don't know. In a way it was a good thing, since I couldn't really fight it." The Priestess blinked happily, liking hearing the _real_ Klonoa speak in his actual voice again, as opposed to the slightly higher pitched tone of 'Theo'. "I'm sure that you'll get used to it now, since you've used magic once, you can probably do it again. You have all of your old powers back now, don't you? Maybe you can make use of them now!"

Klonoa nodded again. "…I suppose so." "Did you see me at all?" Lolo wondered, her eyes bright. "I fought pretty good, I think." The light around her palms had faded, the Verse having ceased. The Dream Traveler smiled once more. "You saved me…again. Gemini would've chopped my head off if you hadn't stopped him." She grinned back, obviously enjoying the praise. "No biggie, you've done the same for me…lots of times."

Lolo's smile suddenly widened, her over excitement coming back in a wave. "Oh Klonoa, I'm so happy! We did it, all by ourselves we stopped Gemini; I can't believe it! You're alive, you're still here – I'm so glad!" She pulled him closer again, beaming. "Amazingly." Klonoa added dryly. "Calling on the sapphire myself didn't quite go as I planned… I thought it would cause the power to be weakened and divided between us, but instead it went amuck!" He hesitated a moment before continuing. "Say Lolo, what happened to Gemini anyway? I was weaker than him; I should've been the first one to go…"

The Priestess slackened her embrace again, distance creeping into her mind along with the images of that strange smile, and his silhouette falling to the ground. "I…I don't know. He was all tense and curled, like you, and then he just raised his head and smiled. …This weird, freaky smile! And then he…he died." "So that's it huh, he died? Just like that?" Klonoa's voice was thoughtful. "But that doesn't make any sense." Lolo just nodded. "It was strange. …He looked spiteful, but he didn't look upset, or scared or anything. And yet I know he knew what was going to happen."

The Dream Traveler looked down blankly, an anxious tinge working its way into his mind; yet a smile lit his face again as soon as he realized what he was doing. His fingers were rubbing up and down on the golden rim of the ring, the familiar item still attached to the bracelet Gemini had put on his arm. He'd always done it when he was nervous or in deep thought, a sort of subconscious habit. The ring was something he'd always carried with him for almost as long as he could remember, he'd felt so strange without it. It seemed so right now, to have it back in his hands, and not to mention in hands that he actually recognized!

"We should probably start thinking about trying to find the others." Klonoa brought up, his voice distracted, though Lolo hardly noticed. "Right. I can't wait to tell them all what happened!" The Priestess got to her feet, brushing snow off of her battered skirt. The Dream Traveler got up slowly, finally feeling strength start to return to his body. He wobbled a bit before steadying himself. "You okay?" The Priestess concerned. "Yeah, fine. It's just been a while, you know?" He answered simply, pulling crusted ice off of his long ears. The texture of his own, messed-up fur felt foreign to him at first, a lot longer and finer in comparison to the shorter, rougher coat his 'Theo' incarnation had possessed. He'd almost gotten used to it.

Lolo nodded, realizing that switching bodies certainly would be a strange sensation. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it might feel like. "…Does it feel good to be back to normal?" She asked as she went over to pick up the sword she had dropped earlier. Klonoa collected the other, grinning as he put his own sword back into his belt, running his fingers lightly across the surface of the blade nostalgically. "Yeah… It feels…strange, but good."

"We finally get to go home now! You can get some more normal clothes then, too. Maybe that'll make you feel better." Lolo wasn't sure how else to reply. Klonoa was still dressed in the cloak Gemini had adorned his body with, bloodstains from his now healed wounds, spilled from both his current form and from his former 'Theo' incarnation, still painting it with red splotches. The look really didn't suit him at all.

"Oh! What about the sapphire? Is it still…'bonded' with you?" The thought suddenly occurred to the Priestess as she walked back over to her companion, catching a glint in the corner of her eye. Klonoa glanced over at it, nodded hesitantly. He reached down to pick it up, using caution. "It's…still pink." The Dream Traveler's voice sounded troubled as he looked it over, clearly not pleased with its unusual color.

"What does that mean exactly?" Lolo questioned, sounding a bit worried. "It's not going to go crazy and hurt you again, is it?" Klonoa shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't know why it's still this color, but I don't think so." He answered slowly. "Maybe that will just be its natural color now, since it got all messed up when you both tried to use it." The Priestess suggested hopefully. "Maybe…" The Dream Traveler didn't sound very convinced.

"What should we do with it now that it's been awakened?" Lolo wondered aloud, not sure what would be the best option as far as handling the deadly thing. "I guess I'll just take it with me for now…" Her companion replied uncertainly. "Maybe once we get home we can figure something better out…" "Is that safe?" Lolo questioned, sounding concerned. "I think so." He answered, thinking. "I'll be careful not to use it for anything." He put the pendent around his neck as he spoke, tightening the latch.

"Well, I guess we should start looking for the others then." The Priestess prompted, suddenly eager to reunite with the rest of her companions. Her long-eared friend smiled; his golden eyes now as bright and familiar as they'd always been. "Yeah."

* * *

_So there it finally is – Klonoa's back to normal! But the battle actually isn't over yet…_

_Again, I'm really sorry about the huge gap between chapters…__my goal when I first started this fic was to have it finished before it's one year anniversary – Valentine's Day – but when I missed that self-set date, I lost a bit of drive for a while, and constant schoolwork didn't help either… _

_But the next chapter should come _much_ quicker, considering that I already have it about 3/4ths of the way written…so that and a short epilogue (which I'll upload at the same time) should be posted quite soon! _


End file.
